Vladimir Putin has mentioned Russia plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, marking Moscow’s newest try to make use of the specter of a nuclear conflict to ramp up tensions with the US and Nato over the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia’s president mentioned work can be accomplished on constructing storage items for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus on July 1, a transfer he likened to US nuclear deployments in Europe.

Although Putin mentioned Russia wouldn’t switch management of the tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus or violate its nuclear non-proliferation obligations, the choice is without doubt one of the Kremlin’s most vital steps with its arsenal because it invaded Ukraine greater than a 12 months in the past.

Putin mentioned the deployment was in response to a longstanding request from Belarus’s autocratic chief Alexander Lukashenko, who has allowed Russia to make use of the nation as a launch pad for assaults on Ukraine, thereby shifting his nation deeper into the Kremlin’s embrace.

“There may be nothing uncommon right here: to start with, the US has been doing this for many years,” Putin mentioned. “They positioned their tactical nuclear weapons in six totally different allied Nato nations in Europe. [ . . . ] we’ve agreed to do the identical factor, with out, I stress, violating our worldwide non-proliferation obligations,” he added.

“They’ve [tactical nuclear weapons] in sure nations, put together the supply programs, and practice the crews. We’re planning on doing the identical factor.”

It was unclear when work started on the nuclear storage amenities in Belarus or when Russia would deploy the weapons there. Putin mentioned Russia had already geared up 10 Belarusian plane with the potential to hold tactical nuclear weapons. Russia will start coaching Belarusian forces on the Iskander missile complicated, which may carry the tactical nuclear weapons, in April, Putin added.

Ukraine was fast to sentence the plans. “The Kremlin took Belarus as a nuclear hostage,” Oleksiy Danilov, chair of Ukraine’s nationwide safety council, wrote on Twitter.

“Putin is simply too predictable,” wrote Mikhail Podolyak, a senior adviser in president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s workplace. “Making an announcement about tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, he admits that he’s afraid of shedding and all he can do is scare with techniques.”

The Russian president’s feedback got here solely days after he signed a joint assertion with Chinese language chief Xi Jinping during which Moscow and Beijing declared: “All nuclear powers should not deploy nuclear weapons past their nationwide territories and should take away all nuclear weapons they’ve deployed past their borders.”

China’s backing of Russia’s stance has given Putin an essential bulwark in opposition to western sanctions strain, although Xi and US president Joe Biden opposed the “use or risk of use” of nuclear weapons in Ukraine final November.

The US has warned China in opposition to offering Russia with weapons to make use of on the battlefield in Ukraine, although there isn’t a indication as but Beijing has determined to do that.

In one other clip from the interview broadcast on Sunday, Putin mentioned: “We aren’t creating any army alliance with China. Sure, we’ve military-technical co-operation. We’re not hiding it. That’s all clear, there’s nothing secret there.”

Putin has frequently made veiled threats to make use of “all of the means at our disposal” to defend Russia’s territorial conquests and warn off western help for Ukraine’s army.

Within the autumn, when nuclear tensions with the west had been at a peak, Putin thought of utilizing a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine however finally determined it will give Russia no actual battlefield benefit, in line with folks aware of the matter.

Not like strategic nuclear warheads — that are designed to be launched from 1000’s of miles away on submarines, long-range bombers or intercontinental ballistic missiles, and may obliterate whole cities — tactical nuclear weapons carry a smaller payload for destroying targets in a particular space.

Whereas the US gave up all however 230 of its tactical nuclear warheads after the top of the Chilly Struggle, Russia nonetheless maintains 2,000 of them and may deploy them from some typical programs, such because the Iskander missile complicated.

The Russian president mentioned he had made the choice after the UK introduced earlier this week it had provided anti-tank rounds containing depleted uranium to Ukraine, a transfer he framed as a part of a nuclear escalation of the battle.

The US and the UK dismissed Putin’s declare, saying the rounds — that are extra dense than lead and valued for his or her armour-piercing capabilities — solely have typical makes use of.

US Nationwide Safety Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson mentioned the US has not seen any indicators Russia is shifting in the direction of utilizing a nuclear weapon.

“We haven’t seen any cause to regulate our personal strategic nuclear posture nor any indications Russia is making ready to make use of a nuclear weapon,” Watson mentioned.

She added: “We stay dedicated to the collective defence of the Nato alliance.”

A US official mentioned Putin’s announcement could possibly be political signalling in response to Belarus Freedom Day, which is marked by the nation’s opposition. The US on Friday imposed sanctions and visa bans on Belarusian officers and others to recognise the vacation.