US President Biden concerned about Russia's ability to use tactical nuclear weapons

Mr. Biden's comments came after the Kremlin announced that Russia's first tactical nuclear weapons had arrived on Belarusian territory.

Speaking to donors in California, President Biden said Russia's actions in Belarus could be a sign Moscow is preparing to use tactical nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, recent comments from the White House have suggested there is no sign Russia is about to use nuclear weapons.

"Two years ago, when I said I was concerned about the Colorado River drying up, everyone looked at me like I was crazy. They looked at me the same way when I said I was concerned about (Russian President Vladimir) Putin using tactical nuclear weapons. That's true," Reuters news agency quoted Mr. Biden.

Previously, Mr. Biden criticized Russia's deployment of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus as "extremely irresponsible." The US President also emphasized that he felt "extremely negative" about Russia's decision.

Moscow and Minsk finalized a deal to store Russian tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory in May. According to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, the nuclear warheads will be mounted on Iskander-M missiles and fighter jets modified for this purpose.

In March, Russia announced for the first time that it was negotiating to deploy nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory. Moscow said this was in response to Britain supplying depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine.

Responding to criticism from US officials, the Russian Embassy in the US accused Washington of hypocrisy, and mentioned that the US has placed about 150 nuclear missiles in Western Europe and Türkiye over the past decades.