New Delhi, June 14 -- at what point does declaratory deterrence become something harder to walk back?

"The Joint Regional Group of Forces, advanced Russian defensive systems and tactical nuclear weapons deployed on the territory of Belarus reliably shield the western frontiers of the Union State and the CSTO, ensuring a counterbalance to neo-Nazi Ukraine and NATO forces stationed in neighboring countries," the ministry said in a statement distributed ahead of Lavrov's visit, during which he is expected to meet Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

The statement is not the first time Moscow has invoked its nuclear deployment in Belarus. But its timing and diplomatic register are notable. Issued not by the Defense Ministry but by the...