No indication of Putin moving nuclear weapons to Belarus: US
Mar 26, 2023
Washington [US], March 26 : The United States has not seen any indication that Russia has moved any nuclear weapons into Belarus, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said adding that they will "continue to monitor the implications," CNN reported.
"We have not seen any reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture nor any indications Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon," State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a statement to CNN.
Meanwhile, another US State Department spokesperson said that both countries had discussed the movement of weapons for some time, having made multiple statements throughout the past year.
This statement came after Putin announced that it will deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, just as the United States has been doing on the territories of its NATO allies.
Previously, Washington has made clear to Putin that there will be consequences to any use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, even low-yield tactical devices, but has deliberately stopped short of spelling out exactly what they would be.
Speaking in October, US President Joe Biden told CNN, "It would be irresponsible for me to talk about what we would or wouldn't do," in response to nuclear use by Russia.
But Biden hinted at the possibility of a rapid escalation in events, according to CNN.
According to Russia's TASS News Agency, Russia, at the request of the Belarusian side, will deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
"Even out of the context of these events, this statement (about the possible supply of depleted uranium shells by the UK to Ukraine - TASS), Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko has long raised the issue of deploying Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus," Putin said.
Earlier, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, in response to the UK's plans to supply depleted uranium shells to Ukraine, said that Russia would supply Belarus "ammunition with real uranium."
"As for our negotiations with Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko... The reason (for the statements of the Belarusian leader - TASS) was the statement by the British Minister of State for Defense [Annabel Goldie] that they were going to supply shells with depleted uranium to Ukraine, which is somehow connected with nuclear technology," Putin said.
He stressed that "there is nothing unusual about this."
"The United States has been doing this for decades. They placed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territories of their allied countries, NATO countries, in Europe a long time ago. In six states - these are the Federal Republic of Germany, Turkey, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Greece - well, in Greece there aren't [tactical nuclear weapons] now, but there is a storage facility," the Russian President said, TASS reported.
"And we agreed [with Belarus] that we will do the same. Without violating, I want to emphasize on our international obligations on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons," Putin stressed.
