Thread by @alexanderkhara

#putin escalates by voicing his plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on #Belarusian territory.

It was planned well before. In 2020 #Lukashenko illegally seized power. In February 2022, he conducted an unlawful referendum that ditched the country's non-nuclear status. ⏬

putin voices a plan to modernize Belarusian aircraft to make them nuclear-capable and train Belarusian pilots to operate them. In December 2022, putin deployed, and in February 2023, the Belarusian reported that they started operating the #Iskander-M dual-capable missile systems.

On February 25, 2023, putin played an idiot linking his nuclear proliferation plans to armor-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium to be provided to Ukraine by the U.K.

Though the #Kaliningrad exclave allows Moscow to permanently threaten Europe with nuclear strikes, a deployment to Belarus might solve a logistical problem that is worsening with #Finland and #Sweden's membership in #NATO, thus turning the Baltic Sea into a NATO lake.

The move will pose an additional threat to #Poland and the #Baltic states. It will allow putin to claim a nuclear umbrella over Belarus, thus seeing any actions with regard to Belarus as a nuclear trigger.

It also means harsh repression of any attempt by Belarusian people to change its leadership either via protests or elections.

The international community must go beyond expressing deep concerns at a U.N. Security Council meeting.

One of the justifications for Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022 was alleged U.S. plans to deploy nuclear missiles to Europe, particularly Ukraine. Those allegations have been used to justify Russia's aggressive actions in Ukraine and as a nuclear blackmail of the West

Maybe it is worth the @POTUS to warn putin that though they initially had no plans to deploy any missiles in Europe, now they may change their mind.

The U.S. and its allies should respond with nuclear posture changes and possibly deploy additional necessary assets to the most exposed countries.

Given that Belarus, as an aggressor state under international law, is a legitimate military target, Ukraine may prevent a transfer of such weapons to their storage facilities and level those facilities and transportation infrastructure that would be used for delivery.

It's better not to allow Russia to replay the Caribbean crisis. The U.S. should also abandon a self-restriction policy on #ATACMS, #F16, and other systems for Ukraine.

Failure to deny Russia's proliferation of nuclear weapons would have dire consequences for the globe.