Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on Friday in a meeting in Sochi that Moscow will start deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus after the facilities are ready on July 7-8.
“So everything is according to plan, everything is stable,” Putin said, according to a readout from the Kremlin.
The two men had previously agreed on the plan to deploy Russian land-based short-range nuclear missiles on the territory of Moscow’s close ally, where they will remain under Russian command.
In March lost months, the Russian President made a similar statement that drew the reaction of the United States which reacted cautiously, with a senior administration official saying there were no signs Moscow planned to use its nuclear weapons.
“Tactical” nuclear weapons refer to those used for specific gains on a battlefield rather than those with the capacity to wipe out cities. It is unclear how many such weapons Russia has given it is an area still shrouded in Cold War secrecy.
Russia and Belarus have an alliance agreement under which the Kremlin subsidizes the Belarusian economy, via loans and discounted Russian oil and gas.
Russia used Belarusian territory as a staging ground for invading neighbouring Ukraine and has maintained a contingent of troops and weapons there.
With inputs from agencies
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