'Don't lecture us': Russia hits back at Biden over planned tactical nuke deployment in Belarus

Russia hit back at US President Joe Biden who raised concerns against Moscow’s move to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, saying that Washington doesn’t have a stand on the issue as it has been doing the same in Europe.

The Russian Embassy in the US termed Washington’s concerns about Moscow’s planned deployment as “hypocritical”, saying that “before blaming others, Washington could use some introspection”.

“The United States has been for decades maintaining a large arsenal of its nuclear weapons in Europe. Together with its NATO allies it participates in nuclear sharing arrangements and trains for scenarios of nuclear weapons use against our country.”

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It said that it was the “sovereign right” of Russia and Belarus to ensure their security “by means we deem necessary amidst of a large-scale hybrid war unleashed by Washington against us,” it said in a statement.

“The measures we undertake are fully consistent with our international legal obligations.”

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The retort from Russia came after Biden, through a statement from the US State Department, expressed apprehension over reports that Russia has moved ahead with a plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Has US deployed nukes in Europe?

According to reports, the United States has deployed nuclear weapons in Western Europe since US President Dwight D Eisenhower authorised their deployment in the Cold War as a counter to the perceived threat from the Soviet Union. The first USnuclear weapons in Europe were deployed in Britain in 1954.

Much of the detail about the current US deployment is classified, reports Reuters news agency, though the Federation of American Scientists says that the US has 100 B61 tactical nuclear weapons deployed in Europe – in Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Movecomes in wake of imminent Ukraine’s counteroffensive

On Thursday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that the weapons were already on the move. This is the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 that Russia is deploying nukes to its neighbouring country.

Tactical nuclear weapons are intended to destroy enemy troops and weapons on the battlefield. They have a relatively short range and a much lower yield than nuclear warheads fitted to long-range strategic missiles that are capable of obliterating whole cities

It is unclear how many nuclear weapons would be kept in Belarus. The U.S. government believes Russia has around 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons, including bombs that can be carried by aircraft, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery rounds.

The development comes as Ukraine said it is preparing to launch a counteroffensive against Russia. President Volodymyr Zelensky recently visited several European countries, including France and UK, to seek more arms to help bolsters its armoury.

(With inputs from agencies)

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