Rising nuclear threat from Belarus
13.3.2024
Question for written answer E-000789/2024
to the Commission
Rule 138
Liudas Mažylis (PPE)
Belarus has been using increasingly aggressive military rhetoric against the Baltic States and Europe since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Minsk regime intends to adopt a new military doctrine in April 2024, which would allow the use of tactical nuclear weapons from Belarusian territory for ‘defence’ purposes. With the security situation in the Baltic Sea region continuing to deteriorate, the second unit of Astravets nuclear power plant began commercial operations in November 2023. Since the start of the Astravets NPP project, Belarus has shared almost no information, including information on incidents during construction. As additional nuclear risks in the Baltic Sea region increase, the EU must continuously raise the pressure on Belarus and use all diplomatic and economic means at its disposal.
Could the Commission please answer the following questions:
- 1.What is the Commission’s assessment of Belarus’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric towards the Baltic States and Europe, and of the actual deployment of tactical nuclear weapons?
- 2.In the light of Belarus’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric, would the Commission recommend considering a new package of sanctions to include more natural and legal persons directly linked to the Lukashenka regime?
Submitted:13.3.2024