© AFP 2023 / Ludovic Marin |
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that no country can deploy nuclear weapons on foreign soil "under any circumstances".
He also argued that Russia's recent decision to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus goes beyond its obligations under international law.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, meanwhile, has said he agrees with Macron on the issue of nuclear weapons.
The remarks came as Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said late last month that several countries were "insufficiently" concerned about Moscow's decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, given the West's hybrid war against Russia.
In the context of a hybrid war launched by the West against Russia, and the declared intention of the US and NATO to inflict a "strategic defeat" on Russia, it is natural for Moscow to launch military-technical countermeasures in the region. The spokesman added.
On March 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow and Minsk had agreed to keep Russia's tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which does not violate Russia's commitments to nuclear non-proliferation.