Russian tactical nuclear weapons coming in days, Belarus says

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has confirmed that Russian tactical nuclear weapons are coming to his country in days. 

Russia's TASS news agency reported the Belarusian leader as saying on Tuesday that the new nuclear weapons would be physically deployed on the territory of Belarus "in several days." 

Lukashenko was cited as saying by the Russian news agency that the country was now ready to host the weapons.

“Everything is ready. I think we will have what we asked for in a few days, and even a little bit more,” he said.

Putin: Tactical nuclear weapons to be deployed in Belarus in July

President Vladimir Putin says Russia’s military will begin deploying tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus in July.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia would start deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus in early July.

The Russian leader, who met with Lukashenko in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, said the deployment would be started once the special storage facilities for the weapons were ready.

“Everything is going according to plan,” Putin told Lukashenko. “Preparation of the relevant facilities ends on July 7-8, and we will immediately begin activities related to the deployment of appropriate types of weapons on your territory.”

The Russian leader noted that the "Iskander" mobile short-range ballistic missiles, which can deliver nuclear warheads with a range of 500 kilometers, had already been delivered to the country.

Supply of US F-16 jets will make Ukraine nuclear-capable: Russia's Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister has warned that US-built F-16 fighter jets can carry nuclear weapons if they are sent to Ukraine.

Russian Sukhoi-25 Grach jet fighters have reportedly been redesigned to carry the warheads.

If the "Iskander" missile were to be launched from the main air base outside Minsk, the projectiles could potentially reach virtually all of Eastern Europe, including a host of NATO member states, as well as cities such as Berlin and Stockholm. With a Sukhoi-25 carrying the "Iskander" missile, it could reach at least 1,000 kilometers farther.

Russia's deployment of the warheads in Belarus is aimed to counter a similar move by the United States which deployed nuclear warheads in a host of European countries.

Belarus security official: West left us with no choice but to deploy Russian nuclear weapons

Belarus top security official says the West left the country with no choice but to deploy Russian tactical nukes on its soil.

In the meantime, the United States and its European allies have been sending huge shipments of advanced weapons into Ukraine to boost Kiev's forces fighting Russian troops engaged in a “special military operation” in Ukraine since February 24, 2022, as part of a national security measure against the persisting eastern advance of the US-led NATO military alliance.

This comes despite repeated warnings by the Kremlin that the deployment of tanks, missiles and other weapons will only add to the destruction and worsen the situation in Ukraine.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned the West that Russia's defeat in Ukraine could trigger a nuclear war.

Russia's Medvedev warns of nuclear war if Moscow loses in Ukraine

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned NATO that the defeat of his country as a nuclear power in Ukraine could trigger a nuclear war.

"The defeat of a nuclear power in a conventional war may trigger a nuclear war," Medvedev said in a post on Telegram early this year.

Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chairman of President Vladimir Putin's security council, said, "Nuclear powers have never lost major conflicts on which their fate depends."

Russia and the United States have the largest number of nuclear warheads, jointly holding around 90 percent of the world's total.

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