Russian President Vladimir Putin said on the 21st (local time) that "the goals of the Russia-Belarus joint nuclear exercise have been fully achieved."
Tass reported that Putin said this after observing the first joint military exercise related to command and control of the two countries' strategic and tactical nuclear forces that day.
The Belarus Ministry of National Defense announced on the 18th that it had begun a joint exercise with Russia to strengthen readiness for operating weapons such as nuclear warheads. The Russia Ministry of National Defense also said on the 19th that a joint exercise related to nuclear weapons deployed in Belarus would take place.
That day, in a video call with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Putin said, "Our nuclear triad will be sufficiently maintained at the necessary level," adding, "We are proceeding according to plan, clearly and in a coordinated manner, and everything is working out well."
The nuclear triad refers to delivery systems capable of carrying nuclear weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and strategic bombers.
Putin also said, "To strengthen the defensive capabilities of the two countries and reliably protect the peoples of Russia and Belarus from potential threats coming from all directions, systematic and consistent measures are necessary."
However, Putin added, "The use of weapons such as nuclear arms is an extreme and exceptional measure to ensure national security."