Nuclear weapons to be moved by Russia, will be close to Belarus’ border with NATO

US president Joe Biden calls it ‘worrisome’...

Russia will relocate tactical nuclear weapons close to Belarus' western borders, the Russian envoy to Minsk said on Sunday, putting them on NATO's doorstep and potentially escalating Moscow's standoff with the West.

President Vladimir Putin announced on March 26 that Russia will deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, in one of Russia's most blatant nuclear signals since the start of its invasion of Ukraine 13 months ago

.

The two Slavic neighbours are officially part of a "union state" and have been in talks for years to further integrate, a process that has accelerated since Minsk enabled Moscow to send troops into Ukraine last year using Belarusian territory. According to Belarusian state television, the weapons "will be moved to our union state's western border and will increase the possibilities for ensuring security."

Gryzlov did not specify where the weapons will be stationed, but he did confirm that a storage facility, as directed by Putin, will be finished by July 1 and then relocated to the west of Belarus.

Belarus shares borders with Lithuania and Latvia to the north, and Poland to the west, all of which are part of NATO's Eastern flank, which has been bolstered with additional soldiers and military equipment in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The United States and Ukraine's other allies have expressed concern about the prospect of Russia sending tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, with President Joe Biden calling it "worrisome."