Pentagon says no indication that Russia plans to use nuclear weapons
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After Putin's announcement, the Pentagon says it has not seen any reason to adjust the US strategic nuclear posture.
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The Pentagon logo is seen behind the podium in the briefing room at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, Jan. 8, 2020 (Reuters)
The Pentagon on Saturday indicated that there are no indications that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons after Moscow's announcement to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
"We have seen reports of Russia's announcement and will continue to monitor this situation," the US Department of Defense's press office said in a written statement.
"We have not seen any reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture nor any indications Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon. We remain committed to the collective defense of the NATO alliance," it pointed out.
Russia will deploy some of its tactical nuke arsenal in Belarus: Putin
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his country has struck a deal with neighboring Belarus to station tactical nuclear weapons on its territory, pledging that Russia will not violate non-proliferation agreements.
TASS news agency cited Putin as saying that Russia will station some of its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus and has already deployed 10 nuclear-capable aircraft in the neighboring country.
The Russian President said that by July 1, Russia will complete the construction of a facility in Belarus to store the tactical nuclear arms, but the control of the weapons will not be transferred to Minsk.
Putin pointed out that this move will be similar to the United States' deployment of some of its nuclear arsenal in Europe, affirming that Moscow's measures do not violate the nuclear nonproliferation agreements (NPT).
Read more: Lavrov from Minsk: Russian-Belarus agreements 'well-timed'
"There is nothing unusual here either: firstly, the United States has been doing this for decades. They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allies, NATO countries, in Europe for a long time. They are [presented] in six countries, if my memory serves, Germany, Turkey, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Greece. Greece does not have it right now, but it has a storage facility," he noted.
The Russian leader said that Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has requested for a long time that Moscow take this step.
He added, citing his Belarusian counterpart, that the US openly and without being held accountable deployed tactical nuclear weapons in allied countries and trained their forces "to operate this type of weapons, if necessary."
"We agreed with Lukashenko that we would place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus without violating the nonproliferation regime," Putin said, confirming that nuclear-capable Iskandar tactical missiles have already been transferred to Russia's ally.
Read more: Russian embassy in Minsk: Russians, Belarusians "most loyal allies"
