ST. PETERSBURG, June 16. /TASS/. The deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus will help enhance its national security, a senior Russian lawmaker said on Friday.

Addressing the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) earlier on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the first Russian nuclear warheads have already been delivered to Belarus and the entire batch will be deployed by the end of the year.

"Nuclear weapons in Belarus will strengthen that country against possible attacks linked with the West’s struggle against its legitimate president. It will enhance national security of our brotherly country, boost its strategic resilience," Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the international committee of the Russian State Duma (lower parliament house) and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), told TASS on the SPIEF’s sidelines.

On March 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that at Minsk’s request, Moscow would deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, similar to what the United States had long been doing on the territory of its allies. Moscow has already provided Minsk with Iskander tactical missile systems capable of carrying nuclear weapons and has helped Minsk to re-equip its planes to carry specialized weapons. Missile crews and pilots have undergone training in Russia. At a meeting with Lukashenko on June 9, Putin said that the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus would begin immediately after operations to prepare facilities for their storage are over on July 7 or 8.

The 26th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) — Russia’s showcase annual economic and business event — is being held on June 14-17. The theme of this year’s forum is: "Sovereign Development as the Basis of a Just World: Joining Forces for Future Generations." TASS is the official information partner of the event.