MINSK, February 22. /TASS/. Minsk believes that Poland has the right to deploy US nuclear weapons and will monitor Warsaw's decisions on this issue, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said.

"It's their right; okay, let them deploy it," he said in an interview with Rossiya-24 television, commenting on reports about alleged support among the Polish population for plans to host US nuclear weapons.

Minsk will "be watching the purpose and kind of weapons they are deploying," the defense minister noted. "To date, the Americans have already placed about 150 of their nuclear bombs in five European countries, including Turkey. They are actively engaged in updating them," Khrenin said.

Referring to speculation in Europe regarding the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Khrenin emphasized that it was a forced measure on the part of Minsk. "Just seeing this situation, seeing the hypocrisy and lies that have been coming for years from the so-called collective West, the United States, we clearly understand that we can't get involved in the arms race; we will destroy the country's economy," he said, commenting on the decision.

"So this is a forced measure and not a threat, as they are trying to embellish there [in the West]. <...> Everything is very clearly defined here, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces [of Belarus, President Alexander Lukashenko] said: [tactical nuclear weapons can be used] only in one case, in case of military aggression against the Republic of Belarus. That's it. That's what they should know, and they do know it," Khrenin said.

On March 25, 2023, 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 helped its Belarusian colleagues to re-equip their aircraft accordingly. Belarusian missile troops and pilots underwent relevant training in Russia. On June 16, 2023, Putin said that the first Russian nuclear warheads had already been delivered to Belarus and that the entire batch would be deployed by the end of the year. On June 23 of last year, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that a significant part of the warheads to be delivered as part of the plan had already arrived in the country.