Putin and Lukashenko monitor joint Russia-Belarus nuclear exercises

Key points

• Moscow and Minsk hold strategic nuclear drills with the two countries’ leaders participating via video conference.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko have taken part via video conference in a joint nuclear forces exercise.
• While senior military officials, including defence ministers from both countries, have conducted similar exercises on a quarterly basis, Thursday was the first time the two presidents had directly participated in such a training event, Russia’s TASS news agency reported.
• Opening the meeting held via videolink and broadcast live on the Kremlin’s website, Putin stressed that the use of nuclear weapons remains “an extreme and exceptional measure for ensuring the national security” of the two countries.
• “Today, as part of the exercises, we are conducting the first joint training of the armies of Russia and Belarus on managing strategic and tactical nuclear forces,” he said.