Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country will begin deploying special tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory next July. Putin says the process of preparing the relevant facilities for the deployment of these weapons is in its final stages.
The deployment is due to begin ahead of a NATO summit on July 11-12 in Lithuania, which borders Belarus. Putin announced on March 25 that Moscow would deploy "tactical" nuclear weapons in Belarus, raising fears of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. He also announced that 10 planes have been equipped in Belarus to use similar weapons.