“Construction of a tactical nuclear weapons depot in Belarus will be completed on July 1. Moscow and Minsk agreed that, without violating their obligations under the START Treaty, they would deploy the arsenals there”: Russian President Vladimir Putin, quoted by the government news agency RIA Novosti, is once again threatening Europe.
“Russia – warns the tsar – has already delivered the Iskander missile system to Belarus, capable of carrying nuclear weapons. We will also deploy 10 aircraft capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons,” Putin added in the interview with the Russian media. In the Kremlin’s plans, this is a response to the supply of depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine: “They are very dangerous weapons for man and nature due to radioactive dust. Moscow has many of these weapons, but hasn’t used them yet.”
After claiming the production of 1,600 tanks – a number that “will exceed Ukraine’s supply by three times” – Putin once again pointed the finger at Washington for the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. “I completely agree with the conclusions that the pipeline explosions were the work of US intelligence agencies,” he said.
On international alliances, Putin mentioned President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Moscow: “He is a very interesting interlocutor, he knows everything in detail. Sitting by the fireplace and drinking tea, we talked about everything calmly, we addressed the international situation, and the leader of the People’s Republic of China paid close attention to revealing the positive beginnings of China’s peace plan.”
