Belarusian President: Ukraine is provoking Russia to use nuclear weapons.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko believes that Kyiv may have launched the attack in Kursk to provoke a strong response from Moscow.
According to RT, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko recently stated that Ukraine's intrusion into internationally recognized Russian territory appears to be a plot aimed at forcing Moscow to use nuclear weapons. He argued that this would cause irreparable damage to Russia's image globally.
Specifically, in an interview with Russia-1 broadcast on August 18, Lukashenko warned that Kyiv's operation in the Kursk region – Kyiv's largest cross-border offensive since the conflict began – poses significant risks to global security.
"The danger here is that this kind of escalation from Ukraine could be a plot to push Russia into asymmetrical actions, such as the use of nuclear weapons," the Belarusian leader said. He added that such a move would bring significant media benefits to both Kyiv and Western countries supporting Ukraine.
"At that point, we will probably have virtually no allies left. No country will show any sympathy," he noted, explaining that this reaction would stem from a universal opposition to the potential consequences of nuclear weapons.
Lukashenko also responded to claims by Ukrainian officials that the attack in Kursk was aimed at improving Kyiv's diplomatic position in potential negotiations with Russia.
He argued that this plan "is classic, but ineffective in the fight against a large empire that hasn't really started fighting seriously," and he was certain that the Ukrainians would eventually be pushed out of the Kursk region.
According to Russia's current nuclear doctrine, the country can only deploy its nuclear arsenal "in response to the use of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction against Russia or its allies, and also in the event of an attack on Russia with conventional weapons when the survival of the state is threatened."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that the use of nuclear weapons in the campaign in Ukraine is unnecessary. Moscow has warned that it may change its nuclear doctrine, but said any changes would be a response to what it sees as escalatory moves from NATO.
