Global Courant
Russia has already stationed its first group of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
Putin said during a forum that these weapons will only be used if the Russian state or territory is threatened.
The US government said there is no indication that the Kremlin is planning to use nuclear weapons to attack Ukraine.
“We see no indication that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after Putin’s statement.
Putin said the transfer of tactical nuclear warheads would be completed by the end of the summer.
Answering questions after the speech at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Putin said that this decision aims to warn everyone “who thinks to cause us strategic losses.”
When asked about the possibility of using these weapons, Putin replied: “Why should we threaten the whole world? I have already said that the use of extreme measures will be possible only when the Russian state is in danger.”
Tactical nuclear weapons are small nuclear warheads that can be used on the battlefield or for limited attacks. They are designed to destroy enemy targets in specific areas, without causing large radioactive leaks.
The smallest tactical nuclear weapon can be a kiloton or less and the largest can be up to 10 kilotons.
Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February of last year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Kiev does not accept negotiations with Moscow as long as its troops still have occupied territories in Ukraine.
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