Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he has agreed to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, an ally. In response, the White House of the United States emphasized that there is no sign that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons at present, and that it will continue to determine the way Russia will come out.
In an interview published on the 25th, President Putin said that he had received a request from Belarusian President Lukashenko to deploy tactical nuclear weapons, and said, "The United States has been deploying tactical nuclear weapons on the European territory of NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization for many years. This does not violate the international Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."
Tactical nuclear weapons may be installed on the short-range ballistic missile "Iskander" that has already been announced to be deployed in Belarus and the aircraft of the Belarusian Air Force, and a facility to store nuclear weapons in Belarus is scheduled to be built by July 7.
President Putin is expected to aim to strengthen restraint against Ukraine and Western countries by clarifying the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
On the other hand, the spokesman of the NSC = National Security Council of the US White House told NHK on the 1th, "We are aware of Russia's announcement and will pay close attention to its impact."
"There is no indication that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons," he said, adding, "We will continue to be involved in NATO's collective defense," emphasizing Russia's stance of defending its allies while assessing how to respond.