Vladimir Putin puts Russian nuclear forces on alert even as Belarus mediates negotiations

Putin directed his defence minister and the chief of the military’s general staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces in a ‘special regime of combat duty’.

Russian President Vladimir Putin | Photo credit: kremlin.ru

New Delhi: Ratcheting up tensions with the Western military bloc, President Vladimir Putin Sunday ordered Russian nuclear forces to be on high alert in response to what he called “aggressive statements” by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

The development came even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office said he had reached an agreement during a phone call with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko for negotiators from Kyiv and Moscow to meet at the Ukrainian-Belarus border.

News agency Associated Press reported that while speaking at a meeting with his top officials, Putin directed the Russian defence minister and the chief of the military’s general staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces in a “special regime of combat duty”.

This meant that Putin has sought increased preparedness for launch of nuclear weapons, escalating ongoing tensions into a possible nuclear warfare.

Earlier this week, Putin had threatened to retaliate harshly against any nation that intervened directly in the Ukraine conflict, and had pointed out that his country was a nuclear power.

NATO response

The development came as NATO and several of its member nations stepped up to answer Ukrainian President Zelensky’s appeal for military aid, after days of initial hesitation and fears of further escalation.

NATO also announced that it will deploy its response force for the first time ever since the creation of the military grouping. 

Among the major countries sending arms and ammunition to Ukraine was Germany, which Saturday put an end to its “historic policy” of not sending weapons to war zones. It committed to supply Ukraine with 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger anti-aircraft defence systems.

Possible de-escalation?

A positive sign came after the Ukrainian President issued a statement on his Facebook page giving details of upcoming negotiations at the Belarus border, a sign of possible de-escalation.

“The politicians have agreed that the Ukrainian delegation will meet the Russian delegation without preconditions on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, near the Pripyat river,” the statement read.

It added that “(Belarus President) Alexander Lukashenko has taken responsibility for ensuring that all planes, helicopters and missiles stationed on Belarus territory remain on the ground during the Ukrainian delegation’s travel, talks and return”, The Financial Times reported.