US officials have ‘no reason to doubt’ Russia transferred nukes to Belarus: report

U.S. intelligence officials told reporters on Friday there was “no reason to doubt” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims that he moved nuclear weapons to Belarus, according to CNN.

Senior Defense Intelligence Agency officials also said they did not believe the move would change the global nuclear landscape or increase the risk of nuclear attack, the outlet reported.

Putin announced in June that Russia had delivered its first nuclear warheads to Belarus as part of a plan to deploy tactical nuclear bombs in the country bordering Ukraine.

“It’s a deterrent. [against] everyone who thinks of Russia and its strategic defeat,” he said at the time.

The Russian president also claimed that it was only the “first batch”, Russian media TASS reported. “We will complete this work by the end of this year.”

As the Russian-Ukrainian war nears its 18th month, intelligence officials say they have no reason to doubt “that [Russia has] had some success” in transferring arms, which Putin called a “deterrence” against “everyone who thinks about Russia and its strategic defeat.”

Although they did not explain in detail what prompted them to make their decision, officials acknowledged that the weapons were difficult to track, even with satellites.

Putin first announced his intention to stockpile tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus in March, saying their placement was a response to US nuclear weapons in neighboring European countries and Turkey. He said their actions were no different from what the United States is doing.

“We are doing what they have been doing for decades, stationing them in some allied countries, preparing launch pads and training their crews,” Putin said at the time, as reported by several media outlets. “We will do the same.”

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has also said he would not hesitate to use arms if provoked.

“We have the missiles and the bombs from Russia… Not all of them, bit by bit,” Lukashenko said in June.

“God forbid, I have to make the decision to use these weapons today, but there would be no hesitation if we faced aggression,” he added.