On the Foreign Scene
On Saturday, President Vladimir Putin announced plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighbouring Belarus, as a warning to the West as it steps up military support for Ukraine.
According to Putin, the move was triggered by Britain’s decision last week to provide Ukraine with armour-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium.
Tactical nuclear weapons are intended for use on the battlefield. They have a short range and a low yield compared with much more powerful nuclear warheads fitted to long-range missiles.
On Sunday, Ukraine called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, with Ukrainian Security Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov saying the Kremlin had taken Belarus nuclear hostage and it is a step towards the internal destabilization of the country
The US government believes Russia has about 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons, including bombs that can be carried by tactical aircraft, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery rounds but not sure Russia was preparing to use them.
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