Putin confirms first nuclear weapons moved to Belarus as he warns West to 'go to hell'
Vladimir Putin says the first batch of nuclear weapons has been deployed to Belarus
Reuters
Vladimir Putin says the first batch of nuclear weapons has been deployed to Belarus as he warns they will only be used if Russia's territory or state is threatened.
Speaking at the annual St Petersburg Economic Forum he told the West to “go to hell” on nuclear arms reduction.
Belarus is a key Russian ally and served as a launchpad for Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
The stationing of the atomic weapons will mark the first time Moscow has deployed nuclear weapons outside its borders since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Aerial view shows destroyed buildings as a result of intense fighting, amid the Russian invasion, in Bakhmut, Ukraine
Reuters
Russia is “theoretically” ready to fire nuclear arms if its territorial integrity is threatened, Putin said.
When asked by the 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."
Despite the Russian President's claims, the US government says there is no indication the Kremlin plans to use nuclear weapons to attack Ukraine.
During the three hour speech at the event Putin said: “We have more nuclear missiles than Nato countries, and they want to reduce our numbers."
"Go to hell,” he said, to applause from visiting delegates.
In another warning to the West, the 70-year-old implied Russia may strike F-16 jets meant for Ukraine, even on Nato soil.
“F-16 aircraft will burn like these tanks,” he said, referring to Russian strikes on German Leopard II tanks.
“If they are based in air bases in other countries but are used in Ukraine then we will have to think carefully where to hit them.”
Ukraine’s western allies, including Britain, are training pilots on the fifth-generation fighter jets, and are expected to be delivered to the battlefield within six months.
Putin also repeated his claim that Ukraine stood no chance of succeeding in its ongoing counter-offensive.
“Their losses are very high, even more than one-to-10 compared to the Russian army losses,” he said.
He also claimed that Ukraine would soon run out of weapons it manufactures within its borders, and would soon only be using Western-donated equipment
“Everything with which they fight and everything that they use is brought in from the outside,” he said.
“You can’t fight for long like that.”
Ukraine has previously dismissed similar remarks, insisting they are making progress in recapturing territory in both eastern and southern Ukraine.