Belarus

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday he would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighbour and ally Belarus.

We have not used them yet," Putin added in an interview on Russian television. "There is nothing unusual here either: the United States has been doing this for decades. Neither the United States nor Russia -- by far the largest nuclear weapons powers -- officially has a policy of no first use of the ultra-destructive arms. Putin previously said at a Kremlin meeting that "such a threat is rising" on the use of nuclear weapons but has been evasive on Russia's policy. [Alexander Lukashenko](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/alexander-lukashenko/) and said "we agreed that we to do the same." They have long placed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allies," Putin said.

President Vladimir Putin said Russia is preparing to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, escalating a confrontation with the US and its ...

In this week's episode, hear how Brantley launched his art career with used canvases from a local art institute, turned tragedy into triumph with his first major art show, and created an entire world that's led to major motion picture studios knocking on his door. Artist, storyteller and entrepreneur Hebru Brantley takes us on a journey from his childhood in Chicago discovering fine art, to studying film in Atlanta, to struggling to make ends meet while styling rappers and designing concert posters. President Vladimir Putin said Russia is preparing to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, escalating a confrontation with the US and its allies over the war in Ukraine.

Russia has struck a deal with neighboring Belarus to station tactical nuclear weapons on its territory, President Vladimir Putin said Saturday.

Such a move would not violate nuclear nonproliferation agreements, Putin said, adding that the United States had stationed nuclear weapons on the territory of European allies. Russia has already stationed 10 aircraft in Belarus capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons, he said. “We agreed with Lukashenko that we would place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus without violating the nonproliferation regime,” Tass quoted Putin as saying.

Deal will not violate non-proliferation agreements, president Vladimir Putin saysRussia-Ukraine war: latest updates.

“They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries. “There is nothing unusual here either: firstly, the United States has been doing this for decades,” he said. The Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, had long raised the issue of stationing tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which borders Poland, Putin told state television.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow has reached agreement to station tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of close ally Belarus, which borders ...

[torture](https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-chechnya-prison-kadyrov/32246562.html), [abductions](https://www.rferl.org/a/chechnya-brothers-gay-sentenced-prison/31716421.html), [disappearances](https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-chechnya-abdurakhmanov-sweden/32169880.html), [extrajudicial executions](https://www.rferl.org/a/extrajudicial-executions-chechnya-gays/31104385.html), the [assassination of political enemies](https://www.rferl.org/a/chechen-blogger-abdurakhmanov-attemppted-murder-sweden-two-russian-nationals-detained/30474799.html), and the [persecution of homosexuals](https://www.rferl.org/a/chechnya-gays-purges/30211574.html). “We remain committed to imposing costs on the Lukashenka regime for its suppression of democracy and support for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war of choice.” The authorities have also shut down businesses, restaurants, cafes, and in some cases pharmacies due to the failure of owners or managers to observe Islamic laws and hijab rules. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, [click here](https://www.svoboda.org/a/prigozhin-rasskazal-o-pomilovanii-pyati-tysyach-zaklyuchyonnyh/32333913.html). [Live Briefing](https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-crisis-crosshairs-live-briefing/31668477.html) gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensives, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. Some of the protesters wore T-shirts sporting the letter Z, a symbol used by Russian forces in their invasion of Ukraine. Although Vucic and Kurti did not sign any documents in Ohrid, European mediators expect the parties to implement all articles of the agreement. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, [click here](https://www.azadliq.org/a/mnlachin-yolu-etrafinda-lokal-nezaret-tedbirler-gorulduyunu-bildirir/32334032.html). [recruiting convicts to fight](https://www.rferl.org/a/siberians-military-honors-ex-cons-killed-in-ukraine/32325236.html) in Ukraine. "At the same time, we consider it unacceptable to place responsibility on the victim of aggression. The pro-Kremlin speaker of the lower house of Russia's parliament has called for his country to ban the activities of the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it issued an arrest warrant on possible war crimes for President Vladimir Putin. Treasury Department issued new Belarus-related sanctions against nine individuals and three entities in response to the crackdown on the country's pro-democracy movement.

Russian president says deal struck with Belarusian counterpart would not violate nuclear nonproliferation agreements.

Belarus is closely allied with Russia. His comment followed a British announcement that it would supply Ukraine with these anti-tank shells. We have not used them yet.”

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has agreed to the deployment, which won't violate obligations under nuclear nonproliferation agreements, Putin was ...

I stress that this will not violate our international agreements on nuclear non-proliferation,” Putin said. “The United States has been doing this for decades,” Putin was quoted as saying. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has agreed to the deployment, which won’t violate obligations under nuclear nonproliferation agreements, Putin was quoted as saying.

President Putin told Russian state television on Saturday that Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko had long raised the issue of stationing tactical nuclear ...

He did not specify when the weapons would be transferred to Belarus. They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries." Russia will have completed the construction of a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by 1 July, President Putin added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus. ByThe Associated Press.

Putin noted that Russia helped modernize Belarusian military aircraft last year to make them capable of carrying nuclear warheads. He said 10 such planes were ready to go. Russia falsely claimed these rounds have nuclear components.

Russia suspended its participation in the New START nuclear arms treaty with the U.S. last month.

The US and other NATO states are delivering large volumes of weapons to Ukraine that pose “a threat” to Russia, Putin said. “We remain committed to the collective defense of the NATO alliance.” Still, he said, Lukashenko had long urged him to station Russian nuclear weapons in his country. The decision comes as the Kremlin braces for an expected Ukrainian military offensive, after Russian forces failed to make a breakthrough in months of fighting in eastern Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin said Russia is preparing to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, escalating a confrontation with the US and its allies over the war in Ukraine. The US has “long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries,” he said.

Putin said the plan was in response to Britain's decision this past week to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium.

Depleted uranium is a byproduct of the uranium enrichment process needed to create nuclear weapons. The rounds can't generate a nuclear reaction but they do emit low levels of radiation. The U.S. has nuclear weapons based in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. "We are doing what they have been doing for decades, stationing them in certain allied countries, preparing the launch platforms and training their crews," Putin said, speaking in an interview on state television that aired Saturday night. Russia plans to maintain control over those it sends to Belarus, and construction of storage facilities for them will be completed by July 1, Putin said.

He said Moscow had already transferred an Iskander short-range missile system, a device which can be fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads, to Belarus.

“We are not going to hand over control of nuclear weapons. Belarus has had no nuclear weapons on its territory since the early 1990s. The State Department told CNN it would “continue to monitor the implications” of Russia’s plan to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus but would not adjust its nuclear weapons strategy. Although there is no guarantee that Putin will follow through with his plan to station the weapons in Belarus, any nuclear signaling by him will cause concern in the West. Moscow will complete the construction of a special storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by the beginning of July, Putin told state broadcaster Russia 1. [plans to station](https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-03-25-23/index.html) tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, President Vladimir [Putin](https://www.cnn.com/2013/01/03/world/europe/vladimir-putin---fast-facts/index.html) said Saturday.

Vladimir Putin says he plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, the neighboring ally from which he staged part of his February 2022 invasion of ...

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the US is monitoring the implications of Putin’s statement but added: “We have not seen any reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture, nor any indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon. Tactical nuclear weapons are smaller, but powerful, and can be used on the battlefield. Vladimir Putin says he plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, the neighboring ally from which he staged part of his February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The weapons Putin plans to move to Belarus are not strategic nuclear weapons, those giant intercontinental ballistic missiles that, if fired, could end life on earth. Why would he decide to do this? That, Putin charges, is a dangerous escalation.

A top security adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that Russian plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus would ...

While the Belarusian army has not formally fought in Ukraine, Minsk and Moscow have a close military relationship. Sharing nuclear weapons makes the situation much worse and risks catastrophic humanitarian consequences," it said on Twitter. We remain committed to the collective defence of the NATO alliance," a senior U.S. "We have not seen any reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture nor any indications Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon. However this could be the first time since the mid-1990s that Russia has based such weapons outside the country. Analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a note late on Saturday that the risk of escalation to nuclear war "remains extremely low".

Ukraine says Putin's deal to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus destabilises neighbour.

are talking about the west starting to build a new axis similar to the one created in the 1930s by the fascist regimes of Germany and Italy and militarist Japan,” Putin said. China and Russia signed a “no limits” partnership accord in early 2022, weeks before Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. They said: “ISW continues to assess that Putin is a risk-averse actor who repeatedly threatens to use nuclear weapons without any intention of following through in order to break western resolve.” The US played down concerns about Putin’s announcement and the potential for Moscow to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine. While the Belarusian army has not formally fought in Ukraine, Minsk and Moscow have a close military relationship. We agreed that we will do the same, without violating our obligations – I emphasise, without violating our international obligations on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.”

The Kremlin “took Belarus as a nuclear hostage,” Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, tweeted on Sunday. Mykhailo ...

said it would “monitor the implications” of Putin’s announcement but would not adjust its nuclear weapons strategy. Russia used Belarus as a staging ground to send troops into Ukraine for Putin’s invasion. “The United States has been doing this for decades,” Putin was quoted as saying. [said](https://www.politico.eu/article/putin-says-russia-to-deploy-tactical-nuclear-weapons-in-belarus-reports/) on Saturday that Russia would construct a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by July. stationing its nuclear weapons in Europe, and said Russia would retain control of the nuclear arms stationed in Belarus. “The comparison made by President Putin on the nuclear participation of NATO is misleading and cannot serve to justify the step announced by Russia,” the Foreign Office was

NATO called his rhetoric “dangerous and irresponsible,” while Ukraine accused President Vladimir Putin of making Belarus a “nuclear hostage” with his ...

Germany, which has [previously been cautious ](https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/germany-hesitant-to-send-tanks-to-ukraine-as-nato-discusses-weapon-supplies-160270917768)about providing military aid to Ukraine, “might be encouraged” by the potential threat of closer nuclear weapons, he added. “We have not seen any changes in Russia’s nuclear posture that would lead us to adjust our own,” Lungescu said. [Germany](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/poland-ask-go-ahead-send-tanks-ukraine-germany-signals-shift-veto-rcna66937), [Poland ](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/poland-ask-go-ahead-send-tanks-ukraine-germany-signals-shift-veto-rcna66937)and [Lithuania ](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/poland-ask-go-ahead-send-tanks-ukraine-germany-signals-shift-veto-rcna66937)was likely to [ “hasten Western weapons” to Ukraine](https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/zelenskyy-calls-on-the-west-to-speed-up-its-weapons-supplies-160029765576), he said. Moscow had already stationed 10 aircraft capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons in the country, he said. Russia is also Belarus’ largest and most important political and economic partner. had “not seen any reason to adjust The two nations have stepped up joint military training. American reaction to Putin’s announcement was muted. [NATO’s](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/poland-ukraine-fighter-jets-first-nato-member-rcna75281) joint chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear regiment called the plan a “strategic error” and “another sign of desperation coming out of the Kremlin,” after 13 months of war in Ukraine and [few victories](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ukraine-mistake-bakhmut-defense-retreat-russia-wagner-rcna74618) to show for it. [Belarus](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-moves-troops-belarus-joint-drills-ukraine-invasion-fears-rcna12533) to do and claiming 'Belarus asked us,' but not a peep about it from Minsk,” he said. [Ukraine](https://www.nbcnews.com/world/russia-ukraine-news) accused President [Vladimir Putin](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/vladimir-putin) of making Belarus a “nuclear hostage” with his announcement that Russia was going to store [ta](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-says-moscow-deal-belarus-station-nuclear-weapons-rcna76675) [ctical nuclear weapons](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-says-moscow-deal-belarus-station-nuclear-weapons-rcna76675) in the country, which both nations border. and Russia, the world’s two largest nuclear powers](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-catastrophic-consequences-nuclear-weapons-ukraine-us-warns-rcna49365).

A top security adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that Russian plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus would ...

While the Belarusian army has not formally fought in Ukraine, Minsk and Moscow have a close military relationship. Sharing nuclear weapons makes the situation much worse and risks catastrophic humanitarian consequences," it said on Twitter. We remain committed to the collective defence of the NATO alliance," a senior U.S. "We have not seen any reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture nor any indications Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon. Putin likened his plans to the U.S. Analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a note late on Saturday that the risk of escalation to nuclear war "remains extremely low".