2023-06-16 22:34:19
BBC News World newsroom
June 16, 2023
image copyrightReuters
Caption,
Vladimir Putin said that the weapons would only be used if the territory or the Russian state is threatened.
The possibility of Russia sending nuclear weapons to Belarus is already a reality.
President Vladimir Putin announced this Friday that Moscow already has a first batch of tactical nuclear weapons stationed in the neighboring country.
Minsk is a key ally of Moscow and served as the launching pad for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Russian president indicated that the weapons will only be used if the Russian state or territory becomes threatened.
Answering questions after a speech, Putin said this is a “containment” measure and serves as a reminder to anyone “thinking of inflicting a strategic defeat on us.”
Tactical nuclear warheads are less powerful than much of the rest of Russia’s nuclear arsenal. Putin said the transfer would be completed by the end of the summer.
Asked by the forum moderator about the possibility of using such weapons, the president replied: “Why should we threaten the whole world? I already said that the use of extreme measures is possible in case there is danger to the Russian state.” .
The US government says there are no indications the Kremlin plans to use nuclear weapons to attack Ukraine.
“We don’t see any indication that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after Putin’s comments.
African leaders and bombs over Kyiv
The Russian leader will meet several African leaders in St. Petersburg after they visited Kyiv on Friday as part of a peace initiative being presented to both countries.
image copyrightReuters
Caption,
The African leaders met with Zelensky on Friday and are expected to meet Putin on Saturday.
However, while they were in the Ukrainian capital, it was attacked with Russian missiles.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called for de-escalation on both sides and peace negotiations.
“We came here to listen and acknowledge what the people of Ukraine have been through,” he said.
But Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said that instead of making diplomatic overtures to Russia, they should freeze their diplomatic relations to send a message that the international community condemns their invasion.
Zelensky said that Kyiv would not enter into negotiations with Moscow while it was still occupying Ukrainian territory.
In his appearance at the economic forum, Putin dismissed the chances of Ukraine succeeding in its counteroffensive.
He stated that Ukraine is running out of weapons of its own and will soon be completely dependent on weapons donated by the West.
“It can’t fight long like that,” he said, warning that any F-16 fighter Ukraine receives “is going to burn, there’s no question about it.”
Ukraine has dismissed previous similar statements from Moscow and has assured that they are making progress in the recovery of territory both in the east and in the south of the country.
Putin also spoke of economic issues, saying that the sanctions against Russia have failed to isolate the country and have instead led to an expansion of its trade with “the markets of the future.”
He praised the new agreements with countries in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, calling them “reliable and responsible partners.”
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