Kazakh President mocks Lukashenko's call to join alliance with Russia

On May 28, self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that it was necessary to join an alliance with Belarus and Russia, saying that "there will be nuclear weapons for everyone." On May 29, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called Lukashenko's proposal a "joke."

Tokayev noted that the Russian Federation is a natural partner of Kazakhstan, and both countries are constantly negotiating within the Eurasian Economic Union to ensure unimpeded trade, Bukvy wrote.

He emphasized that, first of all, the EAEU needs to deal with issues of economic integration. There is no need for nuclear weapons, as, according to him, there are other integration associations, primarily the Eurasian Economic Union.

"I appreciated his joke," Tokayev said, commenting on Lukashenko's statement that he had promised Kazakhstan nuclear weapons in exchange for membership in the Union State. "As for nuclear weapons, we do not need them, as we have joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty," he said, adding that Kazakhstan "remains faithful" to its obligations.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 30/05/2023