President Alexander Lukashenko said he would have “no hesitation” in using Russian nuclear weapons if Belarus was attacked, as the first missiles begin to arrive in the small republic.

“God forbid I have to make a decision on the use of these weapons in modern times. But there will be no hesitation, as long as there is aggression against us," Lukashenko told Russian journalists during a working trip to the capital Minsk earlier this week.

The bombastic Belarusian dictator's assertion follows an announcement made by Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 25, when he revealed that, at Minsk's request, Moscow would “store” some of its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

However, despite Lukashenko's bold claim that he could fire them at any potential aggressor – he doesn't have the launch codes. Putin was explicit, saying the missiles would be held at a special Russian-controlled warehouse in Belarus and that Lukashenko would have no access to them.

Lukashenko flatly contradicted that, telling Belarusian TV shortly afterwards: “If the missiles are in Belarus then of course I have control of them.”

Instead of the deployment being for the protection of Belarus, many experts have suggested that the movement of nuclear weapons is simply a symbolic gesture aimed at telling the West that Moscow is serious about its potential to use its nuclear capability, while also making a statement about Washington's deployment of tactical nukes throughout Europe.

On June 13, Lukashenko stated that a nuclear response to an attack on Belarus would be "immediate," describing the bombs as a "deterrent weapon" that would be stored in six different locations throughout the country.

"Why do we need them? To make sure not a single foreign soldier sets their foot on Belarusian land again,” Lukashenko said, as quoted by Belarusian state media BelTA.

Lukashenko said that although Belarus would store Russian tactical nuclear weapons, he doesn’t need the more powerful Russian strategic nuclear weapons to be deployed to its territory. “Am I going to fight America? No,” he said. However, he added Belarus was readying facilities for intercontinental nuclear-tipped missiles as well – just in case.

Along with Ukraine and Kazakhstan, Belarus hosted a significant share of Soviet nuclear arsenals when they were all part of the Soviet Union. Those weapons were withdrawn to Russia after the 1991 Soviet collapse under a deal sponsored by the US.

A day later, in an interview with famous Russian propagandist Olga Skabeeva on TV channel Rossiya 1, Lukashenko somewhat backtracked, acknowledging that he would need to seek permission from the Kremlin before deploying any nuclear weapons to defend Minsk.

“They say these are Russian weapons and Belarus will not be able to use them without Russia,” he told Skabeeva.

“Look, if a war breaks out, I am not going to waste time. I will pick up the phone and call him wherever he is. He can call me, and I will answer any moment. It's not a problem to co-ordinate a strike. There is nothing here to talk about. We have already reached the corresponding agreements. Let the enemies, Olya, shiver in their boots.”

In the same interview, he described the nuclear weapons as three times more powerful than those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.

According to Putin, the tactical nuclear weapons will be transported to Belarus on July 7-8, following the completion of storage facilities.

The threat of a nuclear strike has been consistently present since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Specifically, Western politicians have expressed concern that Moscow may employ tactical nuclear weapons. Unlike strategic nuclear weapons, which are equipped with intercontinental ballistic missiles and have the ability to devastate entire cities, tactical nukes are intended to eradicate enemy forces and weaponry in combat zones.

However, despite the transfer of nuclear weapons and increased concern over their potential use, the US has revealed that it has not changed its nuclear threat assessment, with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stating that the US has not seen "any indications that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons for Belarus."

"Speaking to that particular issue, this is yet another example of making irresponsible and provocative choices. So we remain committed to collective defence of the Nato Alliance. And I’ll just leave it there," Jean-Pierre continued.