Belarus risks more sanctions after Russian nuclear declaration says PM
Russia's declaration to station nuclear weaponry in Belarus will result in a new package of sanctions on Belarus, which could be much more painful than the to-date sanctions, Poland's prime minister told a press conference in Bucharest on Tuesday.
"The announcement about the deployment of tactical nuclear arms in Belarus is sure to lead to the imposition of additional sanctions on Belarus. The new package of EU sanctions will be considerably more painful for the (Belarusian President Alexander - PAP) Lukashenko regime," Mateusz Morawiecki said.
He added that he was in standing consultations about the new sanctions on Belarus with other European leaders, and gave his assurance that the new package would "include more proceedings against Belarus."
According to the prime minister, Poland, which borders on Belarus, is also considering restricting its bilateral ties with the country, most notably those regarding trade and cross-border traffic.
The prime minister said that such restrictions on Poland's part would send out "a very clear signal to Lukashenko that we do not accept this policy, which in fact serves Russia and its aggressive operations in Ukraine, as well as its aggressive policy towards Poland and other EU countries."
On Saturday, Russian leader Vladimir Putin revealed plans to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weaponry in Belarus. Putin said Russia has already given Belarus ten aircraft able to carry nuclear arms, and planned to complete storage facilities for nuclear missiles in the country by June 1 of this year.
