Menu

World Africa Australia Europe Latin America Middle East US & Canada
ADVERTISEMENT

Ukraine war: Putin confirms first

nuclear weapons moved to Belarus
15 hours ago

Russia-Ukraine war

REUTERS

Vladimir Putin said moving nuclear weapons was about "containment"

:
Russia has already stationed a first batch of tactical nuclear weapons in
Belarus, Vladimir Putin says.

Russia's president told a forum they would only be used if Russia's territory or
state was threatened.

The US government says there is no indication the Kremlin plans to use

nuclear weapons to attack Ukraine.

"We don't see any indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear
weapon," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said aer Mr Putin's
comments.

Belarus is a key Russian ally and served as a launchpad for Mr Putin's full-scale
invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

ADVERTISEMENT

Mr Putin said transferring the tactical nuclear warheads would be completed

by the end of the summer.

Answering questions aer a speech at the St Petersburg International

Economic Forum, Russia's president said the move was about "containment"
and to remind anyone "thinking of inflicting a strategic defeat on us".

When asked by the forum's moderator about the possibility of using those
weapons, he replied: "Why should we threaten the whole world? I have already
said that the use of extreme measures is possible in case there is a danger to
Russian statehood."

Tactical nuclear weapons are small nuclear warheads and delivery systems
:
intended for use on the battlefield, or for a limited strike. They are designed to
destroy enemy targets in a specific area without causing widespread
radioactive fallout.

The smallest tactical nuclear weapons can be one kiloton or less (producing
the equivalent to a thousand tonnes of the explosive TNT). The largest ones
can be as big as 100 kilotons. By comparison, the atomic bomb the US
dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 was 15 kilotons.

Could Russia use tactical nuclear weapons?

The Russian leader is due to meet African leaders in St Petersburg aer they
visited Kyiv on Friday as part of a peace initiative they are presenting to both
countries.

However while they were in the city it came under Russian missile attack.

REUTERS

The African leaders are due to meet Mr Putin on Saturday

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called for de-escalation on both

sides and negotiations for peace.

"We came here to listen and recognise what the people of Ukraine have gone
through," he said.

But Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said instead of making diplomatic

:
overtures to Russia it should be frozen out diplomatically to send a message
that the international community condemned its invasion.

Kyiv would not enter negotiations with Moscow while it still occupied
Ukrainian territory, Mr Zelensky said.

'The road to peace is not an easy one,' said President Cyril Ramaphosa in Ukraine

Mr Putin also repeated his claim that Ukraine stood no chance of succeeding
in its ongoing counter-offensive.

The Ukrainian military was also running out of its own military equipment and
would soon only be using Western-donated equipment, he said.

"You can't fight for long like that," he said, warning that any F16 US fighter jets
given to Ukraine "will burn, no doubt about it".

Ukraine has previously dismissed similar remarks, asserting they are making
progress in recapturing territory in both eastern and southern Ukraine.

On Friday, Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said in the south
of the country units had advanced 2km in all directions.

The BBC cannot independently verify battlefield claims.

Counting Russia's dead in Ukraine

:
 Warning over Russia's nuclear arms move to Belarus

What will it take for Ukraine's offensive to succeed?

The Russian leader also addressed economic themes, claiming that Western
sanctions on Russia had failed to isolate it and instead led to an expansion in
its trade with "the markets of the future".

He praised new deals with countries in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America
- calling them "reliable, responsible partners".

Related Topics

Russia-Ukraine war Belarus Russia Cyril Ramaphosa

Vladimir Putin Ukraine

More on this story

What will it take for Ukraine's offensive to succeed?

4 days ago
:
 The man behind Ukraineʼs long-awaited counter-offensive
3 days ago
:
:
:
:
:
Top Stories

Pupils among 40 killed in Uganda school attack

1 hour ago

Putin confirms first nuclear weapons moved to Belarus

15 hours ago

The people constantly fleeing an angry volcano

1 day ago

Features

Mapping the search for Colombia's Why Spotify's big bet on Meghan fell
plane crash children flat

Court artists on their three, very

:
 Court artists on their three, very
different Trumps

The women baring all in Smoke The people constantly fleeing an

Sauna Sisterhood film angry volcano

Dazzling ancient bronze sword found A gaming safe space with screams,
in Germany jumps and scares

My fight to bring home our stolen Floods, flowers and a festival: Photos
sacred statue of the week

Elsewhere on the BBC

:
 Where tipping can be considered The fading glamour of digital
rude nomadism

Why are there mountains inside

Earth?

Most Read

1 Pupils among 40 killed in Uganda school attack

2 Why Spotify's big bet on Meghan fell flat

3 Putin confirms first nuclear weapons moved to Belarus

4 Dazzling ancient bronze sword found in Germany

5 Court artists on their three, very different Trumps

:
 6 Padam! Kylie scores her first top 10 hit since 2010

7 The first Indian woman to win a match at Wimbledon

8 Pentagon Papers whistleblower dies aged 92

9 The women baring all in Smoke Sauna Sisterhood film

10 Michael Jordan to sell Charlotte Hornets NBA team

BBC News Services

On your mobile

On smart speakers

Get news alerts

Contact BBC News

Home

News

Sport

Reel

Worklife
:
Travel

Future

Culture

Music

TV

Weather

Sounds

Terms of Use About the BBC Privacy Policy Cookies Accessibility Help

Parental Guidance Contact the BBC Get Personalised Newsletters Why you can trust the BBC

Advertise with us Do not share or sell my info

© 2023 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to
external linking.
: