Putin Stations Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Belarus, Raising Alarm From White House

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, on Feb. 17, 2023. Vladimir Astapkovich/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin earned fresh condemnation from President Joe Biden’s administration on Thursday after moving forward with a plan to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring ally Belarus.

Putin first described plans to move tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus in March. On Thursday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told the Russian state-owned news outlet Sputnik that the tactical nuclear deployment had begun.