US intelligence does not doubt Putin's words that nuclear weapons are already in Belarus
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has "no reason to doubt" Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement that Russian nuclear weapons are already in Belarus.
Source: CNN; European Pravda
Details: DIA officials told a group of reporters on Friday that analysts have "no reason to doubt" Putin's claims about moving the first batch of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus. They did not specify what this confidence was based on.
DIA officials also acknowledged that it is not easy for US intelligence to track the location of Russian nuclear weapons, even with existing capabilities.
Earlier in July, Western officials told CNN that it did not appear that Belarus had finished preparing the necessary storage sites and that available satellite images showed no signs of preparations for the security measures that are standard for Russian nuclear facilities.
However, other sources informed CNN that there are still some Soviet-era facilities left in Belarus that could host such weapons.
The UK Defence Minister Ben Wallace said last week, when asked about the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons to Belarus, that he "sees signs of this progressing" and noted that Putin "doesn't always lie".
Background:
- On 25 May, the defence ministers of Russia and Belarus signed documents on the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory.
- On the same day, self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that Russia's nuclear weapons had begun to be transferred to Belarus.
- Russian leader Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi, said that tactical nuclear weapons will be delivered to the Republic of Belarus after 7-8 July.
- On 16 June, Putin announced that he had delivered to Belarus the first batch of nuclear charges, which are to be deployed in this country.
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