Russia asserted that the tactical nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus would be deployed only if its territory or state was attacked
The President of Russia – Vladimir Putin, has said that Russia has already stationed the first batch of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
His remarks came during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Belarus is a crucial ally of Russia, allowing Russia to use its territory to launch attacks on Ukraine.
He said the weapons would only be used if Russia’s territory or State was threatened. He said that transferring the tactical nuclear warheads would be completed by the end of the summer.
Tactical nuclear weapons are small nuclear warheads and delivery systems intended for use on the battlefield or for a limited strike. They are designed to destroy enemy targets in a specific area without causing widespread radioactive fallout.
The smallest tactical nuclear weapons can be one kiloton or less (producing the equivalent of a thousand tonnes of the explosive TNT). The largest ones can be as big as 100 kilotons. By comparison, the atomic bomb the United States (U.S.) dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 was 15 kilotons. Meanwhile, the U.S. has said there is no indication that Russia will use nuclear weapons to attack Ukraine.
When asked by the Forum’s Moderator about the possibility of using those weapons, Putin replied, “Why should we threaten the whole world? I have already said that the use of extreme measures is possible in case there is a danger to Russian statehood.”
Putin also repeated his claim that Ukraine stood no chance of succeeding in its ongoing counter-offensive. The Ukrainian military is also running out of military equipment and will soon only use Western-donated equipment.
He warned there is a danger of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) being drawn further into the Ukraine war if members of the alliance continue to supply military weapons to Ukraine. German Leopard 2 tanks, British Challenger 2 tanks and American Bradley and Stryker vehicles are among the Western equipment sent to Ukraine. In late April 2023, the Secretary General of NATO – Jens Stoltenberg, said that NATO allies and partners had delivered more than 1,500 vehicles and 230 tanks to the country.
Putin also addressed economic themes, claiming that Western sanctions on Russia had failed to isolate it and instead led to an expansion in its trade with the markets of the future. He praised new deals with countries in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, calling them reliable and responsible partners.
Putin also met with the African leaders on the sidelines of the Forum after they visited Kyiv as part of a peace initiative they are presenting to both countries.
