Russia–Ukraine (Feb. 27): Belarus Referendum Approves Proposal to Renounce Non-Nuclear Status: Agencies

Russia–Ukraine (Feb. 27): Belarus Referendum Approves Proposal to Renounce Non-Nuclear Status: Agencies
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko speaks to the media after casting his ballot in the referendum on the constitutional amendments at a polling station in Minsk on Feb. 27, 2022.Sergei Sheleg/BELTA/AFP via Getty Images
|Updated:
The latest on the Russia–Ukraine crisis, Feb. 27. Click here for updates from Feb. 26.

Belarus Referendum Approves Proposal to Renounce Non-Nuclear Status

A referendum in Belarus on Sunday approved a new constitution ditching the country’s non-nuclear status at a time when the former Soviet republic has become a launch pad for Russian troops invading Ukraine, Russian news agencies said.
The agencies cited the Belarus central elections commission as saying 65.2 percent of those who took part voted in favor. The result came as little surprise, given the tightly controlled rule of President Alexander Lukashenko.