NATO and Ukraine criticise Vladimir Putin for plan to place nuclear weapons in Belarus
ABCNATO has criticised Vladimir Putin for what it called his "dangerous and irresponsible" nuclear rhetoric, one day after the Russian president said he would station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Key points: Russia has announced plans to store nuclear weapons in Belarus Ukraine called for a meeting of the UN Security Council in response Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council head says Russia is holding Belarus hostage Mr Putin announced the move on Saturday and likened it to the US stationing its weapons in Europe, while insisting that Russia would not violate its nuclear non-proliferation promises. A top security adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Oleksiy Danilov, said Russia's plan would also destabilise Belarus, which he said had been taken "hostage" by Moscow. Putin denies Western accusations of nuclear sabre-rattling Photo shows Vladimir Putin Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow's nuclear weapons will only be used as "a response to an attack".