Lukashenko to Kazakhstan: We Should Join the Belarus-Russia Union

Kazakhstan could join the union state of Russia and Belarus, in which case "nuclear weapons will be for everyone," stated Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in response to a question from journalist Pavel Zarubin, according to vedomosti.ru.

Earlier, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted the "phenomenon" of the Belarus-Russia union state within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) during his speech at the plenary session of the II Eurasian Economic Forum, mentioning the presence of nuclear weapons for the two countries. In this context, the Kazakh leader suggested discussing various integration issues among the countries.

Commenting on Tokayev’s concerns, Lukashenko expressed doubt that the Kazakh president is "worried about this matter." According to Lukashenko, no one is opposed to Kazakhstan and other countries having the same close relations as Moscow has with Minsk.

"And it is very simple — we should join the Belarus-Russia union. In that case, nuclear weapons will be for everyone. This is my opinion, this is not the opinion of the Russians. But I believe it is possible. We must strategically understand that we have a unique opportunity for unification," said Lukashenko.