Moscow, (EFE).- Russian President Vladimir Putin said this Friday that the first tactical nuclear weapons have already arrived in Belarus in a process that will end with their deployment in the neighboring country by the end of the year at the latest.
“The first nuclear charges have already arrived in Belarus. Until the end of the summer, the end of the year, all this process will be over. But it is a deterrent measure,” Putin stressed at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
A week ago, Putin said that the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory would start from July 7 or 8.
nuclear weapons storage
The defense ministers of Russia, Sergei Shoigu, and of Belarus, Viktor Khrenin, signed at the end of May in Minsk the documents that regulate the storage of non-strategic nuclear weapons in the territory of the former Soviet republic.
Last March, the head of the Kremlin announced an agreement with his Belarusian counterpart, Alexandr Lukashenko, for the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in the neighboring country, with which he has accelerated the integration of defense policy in the last two years.
Training in Russia for the use of special ammunition
Belarusian military received training in Russia in April on the use of special tactical ammunition for the Iskander-M missiles, capable of using not only conventional but also nuclear weapons.
Training of Belarusian forces to operate Su-25 attack aircraft, which were equipped to carry tactical nuclear weapons, had been completed that same month.
control of moscow
The Russian Defense Minister has made it clear that Moscow will retain control over the warheads and the decision on their eventual use.
“Russia does not transfer nuclear weapons to the Republic of Belarus: control over them and the decision to use them remains with the Russian side,” he stressed in May in Minsk.
They will be used in case of threat to territorial integrity
The Kremlin chief reiterated on Friday that he has already said on numerous occasions that nuclear weapons can only be used by Russia if there is a threat to the territorial integrity, independence, sovereignty and existence of the Russian state.
“Nuclear weapons have been created to ensure the security and existence of the Russian state. But there is no need ”to resort to them, he stressed.
He considered that all the debates that exist around this possibility “lower the threshold for the use of these weapons.”
Russia has “more of these weapons than the West”
He did make it clear that Russia has “more of these weapons than Western countries” and that is why they want to “push us to start discussing” their eventual use.
“By no means,” he emphasized, while stressing that for Russia to have superiority in nuclear weapons “is a competitive advantage” for the country.