Russian President Vladimir Putin's stated intention to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus indicates, among other things, that Alyaksandr Lukashenka no longer decides what weapons are located in his country, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a press conference following the Bucha Summit on 31 March.
Zelenskyy suggested that the self-proclaimed leader of Belarus has completely lost his subjectivity. "I think he no longer decides what weapons are on his territory," Zelenskyy added.
"In my personal opinion, the signal that Russia will deploy nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus indicates an unsuccessful meeting (of Putin - ed.) with China. The first thing that needed to be shown was some kind of subjectivity, which Russia has completely lost under the leadership of President Putin," he added.
Zelenskyy also noted that Putin's statement emphasises that "for the Russian president, it is necessary to show some political steps or victories, but he failed to do so on the battlefield".