Russia has reached an agreement with neighboring Belarus to place tactical nuclear weapons on its territory, President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday.
Such a move would not violate nuclear non-proliferation agreements, Putin said, adding that the United States had stationed nuclear weapons on the territory of European allies.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has long raised the issue of stationing tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which borders Poland, Putin said.
“We agreed with Lukashenko that we would place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus without violating the non-proliferation regime,” Tass quoted Putin as saying.
Russia will have completed construction of a tactical nuclear weapons storage facility in Belarus by July 1, Putin said, adding that Russia will not actually transfer control of the weapons to Minsk.
Russia has already stationed 10 aircraft in Belarus capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons, he said.