Russia plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, Russian President Vladimir Putin told state television on Saturday.
Putin told state broadcaster Russia 1 that Moscow would complete building a dedicated storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by early July.
The Russian leader said Moscow had transferred to Belarus an Iskander short-range missile system – which can be equipped with nuclear or conventional warheads.
Putin also said in the interview that Russia has helped Belarus modify 10 aircraft so that they can carry tactical nuclear warheads. He added that Russia would start training pilots to fly the reconfigured plane early next month.
Key context: The Belarusian government, located in western Russia on Ukraine’s long northern border, is one of Moscow’s closest allies.
There have been no nuclear weapons in Belarus since the early 1990s. Shortly after gaining independence from the collapse of the Soviet Union, it agreed to transfer to Russia all Soviet-era weapons of mass destruction stationed there.
In February 2022, Belarus helped Russia launch its first invasion of Ukraine, allowing the Kremlin’s troops to enter the country from the north. Throughout the conflict, there have been fears that Belarus will again be used as a launching pad for offensives, or that Minsk’s own troops will join the conflict.
Global Tensions: While there is no guarantee that the Russian leader will follow through on his plans to deploy weapons in Belarus, any nuclear signal from Putin would raise concerns in the West.
The Russian leader has repeatedly used escalated rhetoric since invading Ukraine more than a year ago, warning of a “growing” threat of nuclear war and suggesting Moscow could abandon its “no first use” policy.
The United States is trying to show Putin the consequences of using nuclear weapons, even low-yield tactical devices, in Ukraine.
Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper in October, U.S. President Joe Biden said, “If I’m talking about what we’re going to do or what we’re not going to do, that’s would be irresponsible” in response to Russia’s use of nuclear weapons.
But Biden signaled the potential for rapid escalation.
“Mistakes were made, there could be miscalculations, nobody’s sure what’s going to happen, it could end up being the end of the world,” he said.
CNN’s Peter Wilkinson, Frederik Pletigen, Zahra Ullah, Claudia Otto and Rob Picheta contributed.