Russia and Belarus' nuclear agreement is 'irresponsible' and 'provocative,' White House says
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday responded after Russia signed an agreement with Belarus to store tactical nuclear weapons in the country, which neighbors several NATO allies and Ukraine.
Belarus was denied a spot on the United Nations Security Council Tuesday as five other nations joined the rotational ranks, granting them voting powers for the next two years.
Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone and South Korea won the top spots after running unopposed with their terms set to begin on Jan. 1, 2024.
Slovenia, which ran against Belarus, beat out the Russia-aligned nation in an overwhelming defeat, securing 153 votes from the UN General Assembly to Belarus’ 38 votes.
Tanja Fajon, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, holds a press briefing after the UN Security Council elections in New York, United States on June 6, 2023. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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Belarus had run unopposed for the 2024 Eastern European seat beginning in 2007 until it violently cracked down on protestors following a 2020 presidential election.
Western nations and human rights groups accused Minsk of falsifying the election results to secure Alexander Lukashenko — who has been president since 1994 — another presidential win.
Security Council meeting on "maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine" at UN Headquarters. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
By December 2021 Slovenia entered the UN Security Council race against Belarus, reported Reuters.
Belarus has since been one of the few nations to back Russia in its deadly invasion of Ukraine and last month allowed Russia to move forward with a plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons within its borders.
But opposition to Belarus’ appointment by the General Assembly was not a guarantee after it elected Iran — which has also been a top Russia supporter in its war efforts in Ukraine — to a vice presidential role on the General Committee for the 78th session set to begin in September.
In this photo released by Roscongress Foundation, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko talk to each other during the plenary session of the Eurasian Economic Forum in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, May 24, 2023. (Vyacheslav Viktorov, Roscongress Foundation via AP)
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In addition, Iran was also elected to sit as rapporteur for the General Assembly’s Committee on Disarmament and International Security, despite its record in violating ballistic and nuclear regulations outlined under UN charter.
The newly elected member states will replace Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates and join the five permanent veto-wielding members including Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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