Putin: construction of a nuclear weapons storage facility in Belarus will be completed on July 1

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has long raised the question of deploying Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of the republic, the construction of such a storage facility will be completed on July 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with the Moscow. Kremlin. Putin” on the TV channel “Russia 24”.

“As for our negotiations with Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko, the reason was the statement of the Deputy Minister of Defense of Great Britain that they are going to supply depleted uranium shells to Ukraine, this is somehow connected with nuclear technologies. Even outside the context of this statement, Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has long raised the question of deploying Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus,” said the president.

According to him, there is nothing unusual in the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in the republic. Putin noted that the United States has been doing the same thing for decades – American nuclear weapons have been placed on the territory of NATO countries in Europe. The parties agreed that they would do “the same without violating their international obligations on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons,” he added.

“From April 3, we will start training crews and on July 1 we will complete the construction of a special storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus,” Putin said.

Russia has already handed over to the republic the Iskander complex, which can be the carrier of such weapons. Putin also stressed that Moscow does not transfer nuclear weapons themselves.

“We have already helped our Belarusian colleagues to re-equip their planes, planes of the Belarusian Air Force. Ten aircraft are ready to use this type of weapon. We have already transferred to Belarus our well-known, very effective Iskander complex, it can also be a carrier, ”he said.

In 2021, Lukashenka threatened to offer Russia to place nuclear weapons on the territory of the republic if American nuclear warheads appear in Poland. After that, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic, Vladimir Makei, said that Minsk was ready to do this in the event of a threat from NATO.