Russia urges the US: don’t lecture on nuclear deployments. Russia on Saturday downplayed U.S. President Joe Biden’s criticism of Moscow’s plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, saying Washington had done so for decades in Europe.
On Thursday, Russia announced the first deployment of such weapons outside its borders since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said they were already moving.
Biden called reports that Russia is deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus “extremely negative” on Friday. The State Department condemned Russian nuclear deployment.
“It is the sovereign right of Russia and Belarus to ensure their security by means we deem necessary amidst a large-scale hybrid war unleashed by Washington against us,” Russia’s U.S. embassy said.
“We comply with international law.”
The U.S. has called President Vladimir Putin’s words during the Ukraine crisis the greatest nuclear threat since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, but Moscow believes its position has been misconstrued.
Putin has consistently warned that Russia, which has more nuclear weapons than any other nation, will use all means to defend itself.
Tactical nuclear weapons are employed for battlefield victories and yield less than strategic nuclear weapons that destroy U.S., European, or Russian cities.
The Russian Embassy termed U.S. criticism of Moscow’s planned deployment disingenuous, saying, “Before blaming others, Washington could use some introspection.”
“The U.S. has kept a substantial nuclear arsenal in Europe for decades. It shares nuclear weapons with NATO and trains for nuclear attacks on our country.”
In response to the perceived threat from the Soviet Union, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized the deployment of nuclear weapons in Western Europe. As a result, Britain deployed the first U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe in 1954.
The Federation of American Scientists reports that 100 B61 tactical nuclear weapons are deployed in Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
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