Russia transferred nuclear-capable Iskander system to Belarus: MoD
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The Russian Defense Ministry reveals that it supplied Belarus with the Iskander missile system as the West bolsters Ukraine.
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In this file photo taken on Saturday, May 9, 2015, Iskander missile launchers are driven during the Victory Parade marking the 70th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazis in World War II, in Red Square in Moscow (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, file)
Russia transferred the Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system that is capable of using nuclear missiles to the Belarusian armed forces, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.
"The Iskander-M tactical missile system has been transferred to the armed forces of Belarus. This system can use missiles of both conventional and nuclear variants," Shoigu said at a meeting with the leadership of the Russian armed forces.
Furthermore, the minister revealed that training of Belarusian units on the use of the missile system to protect the Union State has begun at one of the training grounds in Russia on April 3.
This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be placed in Belarus, with the storage sites for weapons expected to be finished by July 1.
According to the Russian President, the move does not breach Russia's commitments to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons since Moscow will not hand over control of the weapons to Minsk.
Washington has denounced the plan, with the EU threatening Belarus with sanctions, although the Pentagon and NATO noted that there are no indications that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons.
But Belarus confirmed that the decision comes in response to years of Western pressure, including sanctions, as well as the military-build up by NATO member states near its borders.
US eyeing sending ATACMS missiles to Kiev
The US is considering the possibility of providing Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) tactical missiles with a range of up to 190 miles, as well as F-16 fighter jets, to Ukraine, Shoigu revealed.
"The possibility of transferring ATACMS operational-tactical missiles with a launch range of up to 300 kilometers [190 miles] and F-16 tactical fighters to Kiev is being considered [by the US]," the Russian minister added.
The head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said in April when asked about the possibility of supplying ATACMS long-range missiles to Ukraine, that it did not align with Washington's policy so far.
From a military standpoint, he added, the US military is already facing a low count of these missiles and the US has "to make sure that we maintain our own munitions inventories".
The US general warned House Armed Services Committee that the war in Ukraine revealed "the incredible consumption rates of conventional munitions."
"If there was a war in the Korean Peninsula or a great power war between the United States and Russia, or the United States and China, the consumption rates would be off the charts," he said.
The US will need "probably several years" to replenish the weapons stocks it has spent so far and will have to increase production to meet US defense needs.
