Russia has ratified an agreement with Belarus on security guarantees. What you need to know

The State Duma and the Federation Council have ratified the treaty between the Russian Federation and Belarus on security guarantees within the framework of the Union State, which was submitted to the lower house by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. The agreement was signed in December 2024. The document provides for measures that countries will take against each other in the event of external aggression. What the treaty contains and how it will affect Russia's defense capability is in the Izvestia article.

How the treaty was concluded

• Officially, the agreement is called the "Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus on Security Guarantees within the framework of the Union State." It was signed on December 6, 2024 in Moscow by the presidents of the two countries, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko.

• The Agreement consists of nine articles. It comes into force on the date of the exchange of instruments of ratification after approval by the parliaments of both countries. The agreement is for 10 years with automatic renewal for the next 10 years.

• The treaty was ratified by Russia The State Duma and the Federation Council. On the part of Belarus, it was approved by the House of Representatives (lower house). The National Assembly.

What is the agreement about

• Article 2 states that Russia and Belarus will support each other in all possible ways and means and will take actions in the political, military and other spheres in cases of encroachments on the security of either side. This means the purposeful creation or implementation of a threat to sovereignty, independence or the constitutional order, the integrity and inviolability of the territory and the external border by third countries, international associations, terrorist and extremist groups.

• If one of the countries is encroached upon, they will carry out joint consultations to develop response measures. The Agreement guarantees that in the event of an act of aggression against one side, the other will immediately provide military, military-technical and other assistance after appropriate treatment. The nature of the assistance is agreed upon by the heads of State. The actions taken for self-defense are reported to the UN Security Council. According to the agreement, Russia can create military and other facilities on the territory of Belarus to prevent and repel aggression, as well as deploy its military formations.

• Article 6 regulates the use of nuclear weapons as one of the measures to respond to aggression. It is recognized that its use is an extreme and necessary measure. It can be used in response to the use of other nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction, or the threat of conventional weapons if a critical threat to sovereignty or territorial integrity is created.

• The issue of sanctions is mentioned separately in the agreement. If economic restrictions are applied against one side, the other may initiate collective counteraction to sanctions using measures of state economic policy.

What are the consequences of the agreement

• The treaty was a response to the changing geopolitical situation in Europe and the resulting threats from the West. It states that an attack on one country becomes an attack on the entire Union State and will lead to corresponding consequences for the aggressor. This agreement can be considered as a warning against aggressive intentions. At the same time, in the very first article, Russia and Belarus emphasize that the agreement between them is not directed against any specific third party.

• The agreement allows Russia to send Belarus a request regarding aggression Ukraine in the Kursk region, after which Belarusian troops and equipment will be used to liberate the occupied territories. At the same time, the question remains whether the treaty will apply to Crimea and new territories that Belarus has not yet recognized as Russian. At the same time, the Kursk region is an internationally recognized territory of Russia.

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• The treaty also touched upon such an important topic as threats to the constitutional order. They can be carried out not only by military methods, but also by hybrid methods. An externally inspired coup attempt will have to be suppressed with the assistance of the other party to the agreement.

• It is also important in the text of the treaty that it guarantees the preservation of the nuclear shield for Belarus. Since Russia considers aggression against it as aggression against itself, the principles of nuclear deterrence also apply to the republic. At the same time, the mechanism for making a decision on the use of Russian nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus is not defined by the treaty and will be established in a special order.

• The agreement leaves room for the development of measures to counteract sanctions. This can mean both retaliatory, mirror restrictions, and joint actions to organize import substitution. Sufficiently strong economic ties have been established within the Union State, which makes it possible to effectively overcome the consequences of sanctions.

During the preparation of the Izvestia material, we talked and took into account the opinions:

• Associate Professor of the Department of Political Theory at MGIMO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Kirill Koktysh, international political scientist,
• international political scientist, expert at the Institute of CIS Countries Ivan Skorikov.