Russia, Belarus Sign Security Agreement Amid Growing Strategic Ties

Russia and Belarus have signed an interstate agreement on security guarantees within the Union State.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, signed the agreement during a Supreme State Council meeting held in Minsk on Friday.

“This agreement will firmly protect the security of Russia and Belarus and create conditions for the further peaceful and sustainable development of our states,” President Putin said during the meeting, according to Belta.

He emphasized that the pact includes mutual obligations to safeguard sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and the external borders of the Union State using all available means.

The agreement also allows the use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus at President Lukashenko’s request. This move further solidifies Belarus’s role in Russia’s strategic defense plans.

“The signing of the Union State Security Concept and the interstate agreement on security guarantees brings us to an unprecedented level of strategic alliance and coordination of actions in the military sphere,” President Lukashenko highlighted, emphasizing the significance of the agreement at the meeting.

Following the signing, President Putin announced his approval for deploying Russia’s advanced Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile system in Belarus. The deployment is projected for the second half of 2025, contingent on the completion of production and integration into Russia’s missile forces.

“This deployment will further strengthen our defense capabilities,” Vladimir Putin said, while cautioning that technical challenges must be addressed beforehand.

The agreement and the planned missile deployment come against the backdrop of heightened tensions with NATO and the European Union. Belarus’s inclusion of nuclear capabilities in its military doctrine earlier this year, coupled with joint Russian-Belarusian nuclear exercises, has drawn sharp criticism from Western nations.

The EU has condemned the stationing of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, viewing it as a provocative escalation tied to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Analysts note that the presence of such weapons in Belarus positions Russia to quickly target regions in Ukraine and NATO-member territories in Eastern Europe.

Belarus, a former Soviet republic, is vital to Russia both economically and strategically. Located between Russia and NATO allies in northeastern Europe, Belarus serves as a buffer against the Western military bloc. The country’s 1,084-kilometer border with Ukraine was pivotal during the early stages of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russian forces used Belarus as a staging ground for military operations in northern Ukraine.

Russia and Belarus are co-founders of the Union State, which envisions the gradual establishment of a unified political, economic, military, customs, currency, legal, humanitarian, and cultural space.

Lukashenko, who has led Belarus since 1994, has relied heavily on Moscow’s support, particularly following the mass protests that challenged his 2020 re-election.