Russia will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, President Vladimir Putin has announced, in what would be the first such deployment outside Russia since the mid-1990s. Putin stated that the move does not violate nuclear non-proliferation agreements, comparing it to US weapons stationed in Europe. He emphasised that Moscow would retain control over the arms.
The US Defense Department said it saw no reason to adjust its nuclear posture, stating: 'We remain committed to the collective defence of the Nato alliance.' Belarus shares borders with Ukraine and Nato members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
Putin said Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko had long raised the issue. Russia will begin training crews next week, and a storage facility in Belarus is due for completion by 1 July. A small number of Iskander missile systems, capable of launching nuclear weapons, have already been transferred.
The announcement follows Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow, where Russia and China jointly stated that nuclear powers should not deploy weapons abroad. Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Danilov called the move 'a step towards internal destabilisation' of Belarus, while exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said it 'grossly contradicts the will of the Belarusian people.'
