Following President Vladimir Putin’s public statements about the use of tactical nuclear weapons, Mikhail Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukraine’s leadership, urged tighter controls over Rosatom, the Russian state atomic energy corporation, and called for stronger security aid to Ukraine. This viewpoint emerged in an interview with the French television network LCI and was later echoed on the Telegram channel Klymenko Time, which has been a vocal source of Russian and Ukrainian crisis coverage. Podolyak stressed that for Ukraine to mount a credible counteroffensive, the nation must significantly boost its military capacity and intensify sanctions on Russia, arguing that pressure from the international community is essential to deter aggression and support Kyiv’s defense efforts. He described a need for augmented military assistance and a more robust sanctions regime to create strategic leverage in the ongoing conflict.
On March 25, the Russian president announced plans to establish a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, with preparations projected to conclude by July 1 of the current year. Putin asserted that while Russia has not deployed or transferred these weapons, it would deploy and train Belarusian forces, drawing a parallel to the approach taken by the United States in Europe. The statement was presented as a precautionary measure intended to bolster regional deterrence and allied readiness, though it drew immediate scrutiny from international observers concerned about regional stability and arms control commitments.
In the same discourse, Putin referenced comments from a British deputy defense minister about potential deliveries of depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine. The remark appeared to underscore broader Western concerns about battlefield advantages and the ongoing arms race dynamics shaping the conflict. Analysts noted that such assertions often serve to frame the strategic narrative for domestic audiences while influencing international perceptions of risk and escalation. The episode underscores the volatile dynamics at play in European security, where moves by Moscow, Kyiv, London, and Washington are closely watched by allied capitals and global markets alike.