Lukashenko's nuclear warning amid Western aid pledges

What did Belarus's leader say about nuclear weapons on 27 September 2024? Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko warned that Belarus would use Russian nuclear weapons if the country were attacked by NATO. The statement was logged as part of the nuclear-risk and Belarusian-involvement strands of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The warning came at the end of a week dominated by diplomacy around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the United States.

Aid announced in Washington

On 26 September 2024, before meeting Zelenskyy, US President Joe Biden announced a military aid package of more than $8 billion for Ukraine. He also directed the Pentagon to allocate all remaining security funds to Ukraine by the end of his term in January 2025.

Friction over the visit

On 25 September 2024, Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson demanded that Zelenskyy dismiss Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova. Johnson's objection followed Zelenskyy's visit to an ammunition factory in Pennsylvania with several Democratic politicians, which Johnson claimed represented foreign electoral intervention. The demand was made in the context of the 2024 US presidential election.

On the same day, Zelenskyy accused Brazil and China of using their proposed peace plan to increase their geopolitical power at Ukraine's expense. He said they were doing so by urging developing nations to agree to it.

The picture on 27 September

Taken together, the reports from 25 to 27 September 2024 show a Ukrainian leadership seeking support in Washington while handling disputes with domestic US critics and with countries promoting alternative peace proposals. Lukashenko's nuclear remark added a regional security note to the same days.