"There is no need to deploy nuclear weapons in the 'first strike area'," he told journalists after an active phase of Russian-Belarusian military exercises, which consisted of simulated fights on the ground and in the air after a hypothetical aggressor's attack.
"There are enough weapons in the Russian Federation, which could if necessary be used in Belarus. I do not think such a situation will arise to bring such weapons here," Lukashenko said.
"Nuclear weapons presently are weapons of deterrence and not attack and defense," the Belarusian leader said. However, he added that "if there was a threat to security, nothing could be ruled out."
"We have to ensure security of the union state [of Russia and Belarus] by all means and forces," he concluded.
