The legal consequences of the nuclearisation of Belarus
Abstract
Belarus, which borders Ukraine and Poland, has just changed its constitution to become a nuclear state. The referendum of 27 February 2022 approved the proposed constitutional amendments by more than 65%, thus ending the previous status of the Belarusian territory, which had been designated as a neutral and non-nuclear zone. The amended version should also include an article excluding military aggression from Belarusian territory, which would legally allow for the deployment of nuclear weapons by its ally, Russia.
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Hardly justifiable under the conventional non-proliferation regime, Belarus' nuclearization is a challenge to Western states
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