Tallin; In the midst of simmering tensions between Russia and the West over Moscow's war in Ukraine, the Russian ambassador to Belarus announced on Sunday that Russian tactical nuclear weapons will be stationed close to Belarus' borders with NATO neighbours.

After Russian President Vladimir Putin recently announced plans to station tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Russia's neighbour and ally, Ambassador Boris Gryzlov made a remark about it. The declaration was yet another attempt by the Russian president to use the nuclear option as leverage to get the West to stop supporting Ukraine.

According to Putin, work on the tactical nuclear weapons storage facilities in Belarus will be finished by July 1. He also mentioned that Russia had assisted Belarus in modernising its warplane fleet so that they could carry nuclear weapons.

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According to their agreement, the two neighbours will have strong economic, political, and military ties. Russia has kept a troop and weapon presence in Belarus since using it as a staging area for an invasion of Ukraine.

Gryzlov stated that the Russian nuclear weapons will be "moved up close to the Western border of our union state" in remarks that were broadcast late Sunday by Belarusian state television, but he did not specify a specific location.

In response to Western criticism of Putin's choice, he said, "It will expand our defence capability, and it will be done regardless of all the noise in Europe and the United States." The border between Belarus and NATO members Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland is 1,250 kilometres (778 miles).

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Nuclear warheads attached to long-range strategic missiles, which can destroy entire cities, have a much longer range and a much higher yield than tactical nuclear weapons, which are designed to eliminate enemy troops and weapons on the battlefield.

Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be closer to potential targets in Ukraine and NATO members in Eastern and Central Europe if they were moved to Belarus.

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Alexander Lukashenko, the autocratic president of Belarus, said on Friday that a portion of Russia's tactical nuclear arsenal as well as some of its strategic nuclear weapons may be sent to Belarus.