NATO fears instability as Wagner is in Belarus

NATO members in Eastern Europe have warned that Wagner forces moving into Belarus after the uprising in Russia risks destabilizing the region.

"If Wagner deploys mass murderers in Belarus, all neighboring countries will face a greater risk of instability," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said at a meeting between NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and leaders of seven NATO countries in The Hague, Netherlands on June 27.

"This is really serious and very worrying. It requires a tough answer from NATO," said Polish President Andrzej Duda.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian private security group Wagner, arrived in Belarus on June 27 as part of a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to end the uprising in Russia on June 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wagner members would be given the option to follow the tycoon to Belarus.

From left to right: Polish President Andrzej Duda, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague, Netherlands on June 27. Photo: Reuters

NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said it was too early to say what impact the move would have on NATO members, stressing that the alliance had strengthened its eastern flank in recent years.

"We have increased our military presence on the eastern flank and will take further decisions to further strengthen our collective defense capabilities at the upcoming summit," he said, referring to the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12.

According to Mr. Stoltenberg, NATO has "sent a clear message to Moscow and Minsk that NATO always defends every ally and every inch of the alliance's territory."

Belarus's leadership said on June 27 that it would not build barracks for Wagner, but would provide accommodation if they wanted it and had proposed an abandoned military base. Belarus also has no intention of allowing Wagner to open a recruitment center in the country.

President Lukashenko said on the same day that a significant amount of Russian nuclear weapons had been transferred to Belarus as planned. He noted that nuclear weapons deployed in Belarus are managed by Russia.

On March 25, President Putin announced that at Minsk's request, Moscow would deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, similar to what the United States has long done on allied territories. On June 16, Putin said the first batch of nuclear warheads had arrived in Belarus and the entire arsenal would be deployed in the country by the end of the year.

Thanh Tam (According to Reuters, AFP, TASS )

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