Belarus succumbs to Western pressure and accepts nuclear weapons.

Belarus has blamed "unprecedented" Western pressure for its decision to host Russian nuclear weapons, insisting that their deployment does not violate international agreements. The country stressed that it would not have control over the weapons and that their deployment "in no way" contradicted the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Belarus allowed Russia to use its territory as a launchpad for its invasion of Ukraine last year, and the two countries have since held military exercises on Belarusian territory and ramped up the cooperation between their armies.