The West has no problem placing nuclear weapons within easy striking distance of Russia but has become “hysterical” over Russia’s decision to build nuclear weaponry storage facilities in Belarus, a Kremlin spokesman said Sunday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that Russia would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus at the request of Belarusian officials. The construction of storage facilities will be completed on July 1 but no timeline was set for moving the weapons, Putin said. Belarus borders Russia and Ukraine, and Western officials have expressed concern that Moscow might use nuclear weapons in its war with Ukraine.
“The collective West is not inclined to recall the topic of U.S. nuclear weapons, which are based in Europe, around our country,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Rossiya 24 TV. “But in this case, they are inclined to this hysterical reaction to our plans.”
NUCLEAR WORRIES:White House: No reason to change strategic stance after Putin says he’ll move nuclear weapons
Developing:
►A Russian missile hit a residential area at Zaporizhia, killing an 11-year-old girl, presidential spokesman Andriy Yermak tweeted, adding: “Bloodthirsty savages.”
►The French Defense Ministry denied the presence of its soldiers in Ukraine, rejecting information from classified papers leaked online. The Pentagon started an investigation after the New York Times first reported details of the classified documents.
►Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu threw his support behind Ukraine gaining membership in NATO, telling the Kyiv Independent the military alliance “is the only consistent security guarantee to Ukraine, and also for Europe to evade a new war of aggression against Ukraine by the Russian Federation.”
Ukraine takes issue with Easter message from Pope Francis
Pope Francis prayed for peace for the “beloved Ukrainian people” on Sunday but drew criticism in Ukraine for his traditional Easter message. At issue was an event Saturday, when the Vatican provided testimonies from a Ukrainian and a Russian teenager together. A similar issue drew Ukrainian dissent last year.
“Unfortunately, we are forced to state that this year’s procession was once again overshadowed by an attempt to equate the victim with the aggressor,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko said, calling the gesture “offensive.”
The pope, speaking Sunday from Saint Peter’s Basilica overlooking the St. Peter’s Square, prayed for comfort for the wounded and those who lost loved ones to the war. Francis has consistently referred to Ukraine and its people as “martyred” since Russia invaded Ukraine.
“Help the beloved Ukrainian people on their journey toward peace and shed the light of Easter upon the people of Russia,” the pope said Sunday.
31 children returned to Ukraine from Russia
The head of a Ukrainian rescue organization said Saturday that the organization has brought back 31 children from Russia, where they had been taken during the war. Mykola Kuleba, head of the Save Ukraine organization and presidential commissioner for children’s rights, says thousands of children had been seized from their families or orphanages and forcibly deported.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on March 17 for President Vladimir Putin and Russian children’s rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of abducting children from Ukraine. Lvova-Belova told a U.N. commission the children were taken for their own safety. An Associated Press investigation found an open effort to put Ukrainian children up for adoption in Russia.
Contributing: The Associated Press