Russian President Vladimir Putin announces that Russia will deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Both countries have reached an agreement and Putin announces that there are already ten aircraft in Belarus ready to carry atomic weapons.

Belarus is neighbouring Ukraine and Russia, as well as Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, the last three members of NATO. In the light of Putin’s announcement, Ukraine calls for an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council. It also urges the G7 and the European Union to warn the Government of Belarus that it will suffer "very serious consequences" from the opening of arms in its country.

The European Union has already responded. Josep Borrell, head of the European Union’s foreign policy, threatens Belarus by saying that the country is in time to prevent the spread of arms. If not, it points out that the European Union is prepared to respond "with more sanctions".

Putin has explained that it is "common" to spread weapons in other countries, such as the United States, for decades. The United States currently has its weapons in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Turkey.

New Start calls into question

In the face of Putin’s statements, NATO denounces that Russia has relinquished its commitment to arms control by breaking the New Start agreement. According to this agreement between the United States and Russia, the two countries have limited the spread and use of "strategic" atomic weapons, but the Russian President warns of his readiness to repeal it. Currently, Russia and the United States are the countries of the world with the most "strategic" atomic weapons.

But Putin says that with the weapons he is going to put in Belarus he will not suspend what the agreement says. Apparently, the "tactical" weapons are the ones that it will open. Small and strategic weapons are called "tactical" weapons to those of great power and long-range.