KABUL (BNA) Russia will place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus near its ally’s borders with NATO countries, the Russian envoy to Minsk has said, in a move set to escalate tensions with the West.
Russian ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov said on Sunday night that the weapons would be moved to the country’s western border as part of moves to “ensure security”.
Putin has said that construction of storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus will be complete by July 1 and added that Russia has helped modernise Belarusian warplanes to make them capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
The two neighbours have an agreement envisioning close economic, political and military ties. Russia used Belarusian territory as a staging ground for invading Ukraine and has maintained a contingent of troops and weapons there.
Putin has repeatedly issued thinly veiled threats he could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, reviving Cold War-era fears.
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