Ukraine's foreign ministry has called on the United Nations Security Council to immediately hold an emergency meeting. This comes after Russia announced a plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
The ministry made the call in a statement published on Sunday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told its state media on Saturday that a storage facility for those weapons will be constructed in Belarus by July 1.
The statement said Russia's move is yet another provocative step by Putin's administration and it undermines the basic principles of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the international security system as a whole.
It said, "Russia once again confirms its chronic inability to be a responsible possessor of nuclear weapons."
The ministry also urged the Group of Seven nations and the European Union to "alert the Belarusian authorities about the far-reaching aftermath for Belarus if it agrees to accept tactical nuclear weapons from Russia."
A spokesperson for the NATO military alliance said in a statement that "Russia's nuclear rhetoric is dangerous and irresponsible."
The official wrote that NATO is closely monitoring the situation and has not seen any changes in Russia's nuclear posture. The statement added that NATO is committed to protecting and defending all its allies.
US White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told CBS News on Sunday that US officials have not seen any indication that Putin has moved any nuclear weapons. He added that there is also no indication that the Russian president has any intention to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Kirby said US officials have been monitoring Russia's rhetoric every day since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, but that they have seen nothing that would cause them to change their own strategic deterrent posture.