Putin Defends Nuclear Exercise Amid Tensions with West over Ukraine

Fox News correspondent Alex Hogan reported on U.S.-Russia relations and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine during an appearance on ‘Special Report’. Russian President Vladimir Putin defended a planned exercise involving the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in southern Russia and Belarus, stating that it was simply a “planned work” and “training”. The exercise follows alleged threats from France, Britain, and the US, according to Russian authorities. Putin previously moved some tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus in 2023, marking the first such transfer since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed that this was the third such exercise and that it was being coordinated with Russian officials. The exact nature and timeline of these deployments remain uncertain, as there is a lack of transparency regarding such weapons. Despite this, Russia and the US retain the largest nuclear arsenals worldwide, with China following closely behind. The use of nuclear weapons in warfare has not been witnessed since the US deployed atomic bombs on Japan in 1945. The Pentagon has not observed any changes to Russia’s strategic nuclear forces, despite Moscow’s “irresponsible rhetoric”.