Moscow: According to the Russian state-owned news agency TASS, the defence ministers of Belarus and Russia signed a document on the use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus on Thursday.
According to Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Moscow will maintain control over the weapons and any decisions made regarding their use. Earlier this year, Russia and Belarus, who are close allies in the Ukraine conflict, decided to station some of Moscow's tactical nuclear arsenal there.
Separately, Shoigu was quoted in Russian media as saying that Russia and Belarus were the targets of a "undeclared war" by the West.
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According to the Russian Defence Ministry, Belarusian air force crews have finished their training to use tactical nuclear weapons, which is part of Russia's plan to send the weapons to its ally Belarus amid the fighting in nearby Ukraine.
The ministry made available a video in which a pilot from Belarus claimed that the training in Russia had given the crews of the Su-25 ground attack jets of the Belarusian air force the skills they needed to operate the weapons.
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Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, announced last month that his country intended to station some of its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. It was yet another attempt by the leader of the Kremlin to use the nuclear threat to entice the West away from backing Ukraine.
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A union agreement between Russia and Belarus calls for close political, economic, and military ties. In February 2022, Russian forces entered Ukraine from the north using Belarusian territory, and they continue to be present there.