Putin says Russia will station tactical nukes in Belarus

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus. Putin said the move was a response to Britain’s decision this past week to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium. Speaking in an interview broadcast Saturday on Russian state television, Putin said Russia would maintain control over the tactical nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus. He said storage facilities would be completed by July 1 but didn't say how many weapons they would hold. He argued that Russia was following the lead of the United States, which has tactical nuclear weapons based in Europe. Such weapons are intended for battlefield use, unlike more powerful, longer-range strategic nuclear weapons.