NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Russia would face “devastating consequences” if it decided to use nuclear weapons to strike Ukraine during joint exercises with Belarus. His words on Wednesday, May 20, were reported by the European newspaper Truth.
“They know that if this happens, the consequences will be devastating,” Rutte said.
He also stressed that NATO is closely monitoring the exercises taking place on the territory of Belarus.
Earlier, information appeared in the media that nuclear exercises of the Russian Armed Forces on the territory of Belarus began to worry Western countries.
On the morning of May 19, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that from May 19 to 21, the Russian Armed Forces will conduct exercises on the preparation and use of nuclear forces under the threat of aggression.
At the end of April, information emerged that Poland and France intend to hold joint air exercises in the Baltic Sea, where French Rafale fighter jets will simulate the use of nuclear warheads.