NATO To Monitor Russia's Plan To Deploy Tactical Nuclear Weapons In Belarus - US Envoy

NATO To Monitor Russia's Plan to Deploy Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Belarus - US Envoy

The United States and its NATO allies will closely monitor Russia's plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, US Permanent Representative to NATO Julianne Smith said on Friday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2023) The United States and its NATO allies will closely monitor Russia's plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, US Permanent Representative to NATO Julianne Smith said on Friday.

"We will be monitoring closely to see how this unfolds in terms of actual action. So far, we have heard a lot of bluster and rhetoric on nuclear weapons, and will be watching to see what this means in terms of what Russia actually either constructs or moves into Belarus," Smith told reporters.

Smith highlighted that the US warned Russia "in very clear terms" about the consequences of using tactical nuclear weapons inside Ukraine.

"As far as we can tell right now, we do not have an indication that Russia is really preparing to use these types of weapons.

This is something we are monitoring quite closely," she said.

On March 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be placed in Belarus, with the storage sites for weapons expected to be finished by July 1. The move does not breach Russia's commitments to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons since Moscow will not hand over control of the weapons to Minsk, according to the Russian president.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said earlier on Friday that he could reach an agreement with Putin on the deployment of strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus, if deemed necessary for the protection of the country.�