On June 16, the White House condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement about the possibility of using nuclear weapons.
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| Belarus has received tactical nuclear weapons from Russia. (Source: RT) |
Secretary of State Blinken emphasized: "The United States will continue to monitor the situation very closely and carefully. Washington remains committed to protecting 'every inch' of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)."
Mr Blinken's statement came after Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that tactical nuclear weapons had been deployed in Belarus.
At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the leader said: "The first nuclear warheads have been transferred to the territory of Belarus and the entire batch of weapons will be deployed by the end of this year."
According to the Russian President, the above measures will have a deterrent effect. He noted: "So everyone who is thinking about a strategic attack on us will not forget this."
On the Belarusian side, President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed that the country has received tactical nuclear weapons from Russia.
"We have missiles and bombs that we received from Russia. These bombs are three times more powerful than the bombs (dropped on) Hiroshima and Nagasaki," he said.
* Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko said that President Putin's statement should be considered "very seriously".
Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko stressed: "Belarus allowing Russia to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on its territory is a violation of international agreements."
Asked whether Ukraine considered President Putin's statement a threat to use nuclear weapons in the coming months, Mr. Prystaiko said: "I believe that the Russian leader is threatening all of us: first of all, Ukraine."
This is the first time Russia has deployed its nuclear arsenal outside its borders since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Belarus shares a 1,250km border with NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. It also borders Ukraine, which has been embroiled in a conflict with Moscow for the past 16 months.
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