RUSSIAN NUKES TO BELARUS: In his latest attempt to intimidate Ukraine and its Western allies, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he’s planning to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Ukraine’s neighbor to the north and Russia’s sole ally in Europe. In an interview Saturday on state-run Russia-1 TV, Putin claimed the move comes at the request of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and in response to the U.K. decision to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing depleted uranium munitions.

“The president of Belarus is right. He says, ‘Listen, we’re your closest ally. Why do the Americans deploy nuclear weapons at their allies on their territory, train the crews, pilots how to use this type of weapon if needed?” Putin said. “We agreed to do the same.”