Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the decision on Saturday, sending a warning to NATO over its military support for Ukraine and escalating a stand-off with the West.
Although the move was not unexpected and Mr Putin said it would not violate nuclear non-proliferation promises, it is one of Russia's most pronounced nuclear signals since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine 13 months ago.
However, this could be the first time since the mid-1990s that Russia has based such weapons outside the country. "Making a statement about tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, he admits that he is afraid of losing & all he can do is scare with tactics," Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted.Washington has played down concerns about Mr Putin's announcement and the potential for Moscow to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine.
Analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said in a note late on Saturday that the risk of escalation to nuclear war "remains extremely low". "In the context of the war in Ukraine, the likelihood of miscalculation or misinterpretation is extremely high.
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