- Russia has taken Belarus as a "nuclear hostage," a top Ukrainian official said on Sunday.
- On Saturday, Putin announced plans to store tactical nuclear weapons in the country.
Russia has been accused of taking Belarus as hostage after Russia President $4 to store tactical nuclear weapons in its neighboring country.
Oleksiy Danilov, the head of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, $4 a step towards "internal destabilization of the country."
"The Kremlin took Belarus as a nuclear hostage," he added.
Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, called the statement "too predictable," adding that Putin "is afraid of losing and all he can do is scare with tactics," $4 on Sunday.
On Saturday, $4 that he planned to build a storage facility in Belarus to hold tactical nuclear weapons. He said the facility would be constructed by July.
The Russian president said there is "nothing unusual" about his announcement, noting the US has "long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries," $4 to Reuters.
He added that the act would not violate international nuclear non-proliferation agreements.
One expert told Reuters, however, that the recent announcement was "very significant," given Russia's move would $4 that Moscow would store nuclear arms based outside its borders.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, an exiled Belarusian politician, $4 that Putin's move "violates the Constitution of Belarus and grossly contradicts the will of the Belarusian people."
In response to Putin's statement, the US said it would monitor the situation.
"We have not seen any reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture," the US Defense Department said, $4 CNN.
Belarus and Russia $4 — and the former Soviet republic $4 as a Russian puppet state. The country shares a border with both Ukraine and Russia.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his regime $4 the beginning of Russia's prolonged invasion of Ukraine, as he allowed Russian troops to enter Ukraine over its border.