Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has endorsed Russia’s recent changes to its nuclear weapons policy, calling them overdue and likely to curb Western provocations. Lukashenko, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said Moscow’s nuclear warnings had already been heard by the West before the policy update in September. Putin announced that Russia would expand the scenarios for using nuclear weapons, including responding to large-scale attacks involving aircraft, missiles, or drones, particularly those supported by nuclear powers. This shift came as a response to U.S. and U.K. discussions about permitting Ukraine to use long-range missiles, such as the U.S. ATACMS, to strike deep into Russia. While Ukraine condemned the changes as nuclear blackmail, Lukashenko argued that the new policy would help deter further Western actions.
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