MINSK, July 6. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that some Russian nuclear warheads have already been moved to the republic.

"A certain number of nuclear warheads have been deployed to Belarusian soil," he said during a meeting with foreign and Belarusian media representatives attended by a TASS correspondent.

Lukashenko added that the warheads had not been transported overland. According to him, Russia and Belarus will decide on their placement and deployment jointly. "We cannot service them by ourselves, with the current contingent of armed forces. So currently we are doing everything together," he clarified.

The Belarusian president added that even if Moscow decides to use nuclear weapons, it would definitely consult with Minsk. "Don’t worry about using [it], we are not going to attack either the US, or Germany or the UK. We are not going to attack anybody at all with nuclear arms," he said.

He added that the warheads are deployed in Belarus "exclusively for defensive purposes." "Don’t touch us. And forget about nuclear weapons. However, if you act aggressively against Belarus, the response will be immediate. The targets have been determined," Lukashenko cautioned.

On March 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Russia, at Minsk’s request, would deploy its tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil, precisely the way the US has deployed elements of its own nuclear arsenal on the territory of its allies. Moscow has already transferred the nuclear-capable Iskander system to Minsk and is helping its Belarusian colleagues to re-equip their aircraft accordingly. Belarusian missile troops and pilots underwent relevant training in Russia.

On June 16, Putin said that the first Russian nuclear warheads had already been delivered to Belarus and the entire batch would be deployed by the end of the year. On June 23, Lukashenko said that a significant part of the warheads planned to be delivered had already arrived in the republic.