The weapons supplied by Germany to Ukraine must not be used for attacks on Russian territory. This was reiterated by the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, on a visit to Tallinn: "Russia attacked Ukraine, and that is why Ukraine can At the same time it is clear that the weapons we have supplied will only be used on Ukrainian territory".

The move would be necessary because Moscow is facing a "very hostile environment" with "aggressive statements" from its neighbours, he said argued Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. This is the first deployment of such bombs outside the Federation since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

"The alleged placement of atomic weapons by Russia in Belarus is another attempt at a nuclear threat", and is a "wrong step", said the German government spokesman instead. In Washington, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller described Moscow's move as "the latest example of irresponsible behavior we've seen from Russia since its large-scale invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago."

Miller repeated Washington's warning that the use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons in the conflict would lead to "serious consequences", without specifying which ones. "Let me just add that we have not seen any reason to change our strategic nuclear position or any indication that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon," the spokesman said.