Western allies will not refuse to support Ukraine in the war against the Russian Federation, despite the Kremlin's threats to use nuclear weapons.

 This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the 18th annual conference of the Alliance on Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

 Stoltenberg said Russia seeks to undermine the foundations of the international security system by ignoring, violating or reneging on a significant portion of international arms control agreements that keep peace secure.

 "These are irresponsible actions aimed at keeping NATO allies from supporting Ukraine. But they will not work. Because as long as we take Russian threats seriously, we will not be intimidated," the NATO Secretary General said.

 He recalled that Russia has suspended its participation in the new Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, is not complying with the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate and Shorter Range Missiles and is intensifying its provocative nuclear rhetoric, threatening to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

 "Russia is a direct threat to our security," Stoltenberg added.

 It will be recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Belarus will deploy tactical nuclear weapons by July and compared his own nuclear plans with the US deployment of its weapons in Europe. He insisted that Russia would not break its nuclear non-proliferation promises.

 After that, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Oleksandr Lukashenko, spoke about the possibility of placing Russian strategic nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory.