Russia confirmed it had followed through on a vow to transfer tactical nuclear warheads to neighboring Belarus for storage, as hinted at this week by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a key ally. “This is the first part,” Vladimir Putin said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. “By the end of the summer, by the end of the year, we will complete this work.” Moscow has said the missiles will remain under its control. Russia’s president also said he sees no need to use nucle
(Bloomberg) — Russia confirmed it had followed through on a vow to transfer tactical nuclear warheads to neighboring Belarus for storage, as hinted at this week by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a key ally. “This is the first part,” Vladimir Putin said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. “By the end of the summer, by the end of the year, we will complete this work.” Moscow has said the missiles will remain under its control. Russia’s president also said he sees no need to use nuclear arms for now.
Putin’s move, foreshadowed three months ago, comes as NATO defense chiefs agreed to a new model for air and missile defense that would allow the alliance to transition from “air policing” to “air defense,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg told reporters. The plans will allow allies to coordinate air defense systems for NATO’S eastern flank, sending fighter jets and other ground-based air defense systems on a rotational basis.
A visit by African leaders to Kyiv was overshadowed when Kremlin forces aimed an aerial barrage at Ukraine’s capital, with air raid sirens sounding and explosions heard on the city’s outskirts as a dozen ballistic and cruise missiles were shot down by air defense. The delegation, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, was scheduled to meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy before traveling on to St. Petersburg for talks with Russian officials over the weekend. So far there are few details of their plan, the latest in a string of foreign offers to mediate the almost 16-month-old conflict or to host peace talks as Ukraine pushes ahead with its counteroffensive.
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