Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the Kremlin’s staunchest ally in the Ukraine war, expressed his confidence on Friday that Russian nuclear weapons being developed in his country will never be used.

Lukashenko and Putin have admitted that tactical nuclear weapons have already been transferred to Belarus and that more will follow in the coming months.

In a speech ahead of Belarus’ national anniversary (July 3), Lukashenko defended the decision to transfer nuclear weapons from Russia. Having repeatedly accused the West of trying to destroy his country, he said the development of nuclear weapons in Belarus was necessary to deter would-be invaders.

“I’m sure we’ll never have to use them while they’re here. And that no enemy will ever set foot on our land,” the Belarusian president emphasized.

Earlier yesterday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Belarus’ deployment of tactical nuclear weapons does not violate the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty, as Moscow retains control of the weapons systems. He even claimed to the TASS agency that Russia was “forced” to proceed with this move.

Lukashenko allowed Russian troops to use Belarusian soil as a base when launching the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Last week, he brokered an end to the Wagner mercenary mutiny. After receiving the guarantees he sought, Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin agreed to relocate his paramilitary organization to Belarus.