US: No Signs Yet of Russia Deploying Nukes in Belarus... NATO Also Confirms

The Joe Biden administration in the United States stated on the 26th (local time) that it has "not yet detected any signs" regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) also confirmed that there has been no change in Russia's nuclear posture yet.

John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the U.S. National Security Council (NSC), said in an interview with CBS on the same day, "We have not seen any signs that President Putin has implemented the declaration to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus or moved any nuclear weapons." Kirby added, "We have not seen any indication that President Putin intends to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine," warning that "using nuclear weapons would clearly cross a significant red line." He also noted that the U.S. government monitors Russia's nuclear weapons situation daily.

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia [Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, President Putin announced on the 25th that he had agreed to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in the allied country Belarus. However, he did not specify the timing of the deployment. This is the first time since the mid-1990s, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, that Russia has deployed tactical nuclear weapons abroad. Belarus shares borders with NATO member countries such as Poland and Lithuania.

NATO immediately strongly criticized President Putin's announcement as a dangerous and irresponsible nuclear threat. However, they stated, "We have not detected changes in Russia's nuclear posture significant enough to adjust our own nuclear posture," dismissing related responses.

Ukraine also strongly opposed the move. Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, tweeted on the same day that "the Kremlin (Russia) has taken Belarus as a 'nuclear hostage,'" and that "it will destabilize Belarus internally." Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the Ukrainian president, also assessed that "President Putin has admitted his fear of defeat." Ukraine also called for a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

Meanwhile, in the interview, Coordinator Kirby confirmed that regarding TikTok, the Chinese video platform recently raised as a security threat in the U.S. and facing increasing pressure for removal, they are awaiting the review results from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) under the Treasury Department. He mentioned that the Biden administration has banned the use of TikTok on government devices due to security concerns and added that he supports the passage of the TikTok ban bill (RESTRICT Act) introduced in Congress.