The Russian leader said he struck a deal with his Belarusian counterpart to station tactical nuclear weapons on its territory.
Russia will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said on Saturday, according to TASS state news agency.
Putin said he reached an agreement with Belarusian president, and his closest regional ally, Aleksander Lukashenko.
"There is nothing unusual here either: The United States has been doing this for decades. They have long placed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allies," Putin said.
The Russian leader added that Russia will have completed the construction of a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by July 1.
Putin added that Moscow would not actually be transferring control of the arms to Minsk.
