Belarus has started to receive tactical nuclear weapons from Russia, its leader has said.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told Russian state TV that his country is taking delivery of the weapons, some of which he said were three times more powerful than the atomic bombs the US dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

“We have missiles and bombs that we have received from Russia,” he said in an interview.

It comes after Mr Lukashenko seemed to contradict Vladimir Putin over their potential use.

The Russian leader had emphasised that Moscow will retain control of their use, but Mr Lukashenko said he wouldn’t hesitate to use them if Belarus faced aggression.

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