"Putin's Warning: Russia Deploys Tactical Nukes in Belarus as a Message to the West"

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed for the first time that tactical nuclear weapons had been deployed to Belarus as a warning to the West not to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. Putin said the move was an element of deterrence and that the first nuclear warheads had already been delivered to Belarus, with the job to be completed by the end of the summer or year. Putin said Russia had no need to resort to nuclear weapons for now, but warned that if Ukraine received US-made F-16 fighter jets, it would represent a serious danger of dragging NATO further into the conflict.