Putin makes statement on Belarus and ballistic missiles

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with President Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus. The two leaders, who met in the capital Minsk, subsequently signed a mutual defense agreement and held a press conference.

In his speech, Putin touched upon the Oreshnik ballistic missiles, stating, "Now that we have signed an agreement on security guarantees using all available forces and means, I believe it is possible to deploy systems like Oreshnik on the territory of the Republic of Belarus.

As the mass production of these systems increases in Russia and as these missile systems enter service with Russian strategic forces, I believe this will be possible in the second half of next year."

According to the Russian official news agency TASS, Putin said that the newly signed mutual defense agreement would "make it possible to fully protect the security of Russia and Belarus."