(Reuters) – Russia has reached an agreement with Belarus to install Russian tactical nuclear weapons on its territory, according to remarks by President Vladimir Putin reported by the Tass news agency.
Such a move would not violate nuclear non-proliferation agreements, Vladimir Putin said, adding that the United States had stationed nuclear weapons on the territory of allied European countries.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has long raised the issue of stationing tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which shares a border with NATO member Poland, Vladimir Putin said.
“There is nothing unusual here: first of all, the United States has been doing this for decades. It has long deployed its tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of its allied countries,” Vladimir Putin said. .
“We agreed to do the same, without violating our obligations, I insist, without violating our international obligations regarding the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons,” added the Russian president.
He did not specify when these tactical nuclear weapons would be transferred to Belarus.
Russia will have completed the construction of a tactical nuclear weapons storage center in Belarus by July 1, according to the Russian president who added that Moscow would not transfer arms control to Minsk.
Russia has already stationed ten aircraft capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
The US Department of Defense said it had no indication that Russia intended to use these nuclear weapons.
“We have received information related to Russia’s announcement and will continue to monitor the situation,” the Defense Department’s press office said in a written statement.
“We have seen no reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture or any indication that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon. We remain committed to the collective defense of the NATO alliance,” he added. defense department.
(Report David Ljunggren, French version Matthieu Protard)
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