Speaking on CNN television, Donald Trump-era White House National Security Advisor Bolton stated that Putin had used nuclear weapons as a threat before and said, “However, he may not be bluffing here. Tactical nuclear weapons can actually be placed in Belarus.”
Bolton stated that not enough attention was paid to the fact that Belarus, which was once a part of the Soviet Union, could be “recaptured” by Russia, “But I don’t think it would make much difference militarily (Putin) even if he did it. Because extensive nuclear materials, missiles in Kaliningrad “We know there are cruise missiles, drones and warheads,” he said.
Stating that Russia has missiles in Kaliningrad, which violates the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Agreement (INF), which the USA withdrew in 2019, Bolton continued as follows:
“So the capabilities that Russia already has in Kaliningrad are the most threatening. I don’t think the idea of moving some tactical nuclear weapons and developing rules about it would change that balance.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on March 25 that they will place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, saying, “We will do this without violating our international obligations regarding non-proliferation.”
NATO and the European Union (EU) stated that they found Russia’s decision “irresponsible”, and the USA stated that they followed the developments closely and stated that they did not see any sign that Putin would use nuclear weapons.