Citing external threats coming from the West, and at a moment Belarus is hosting many thousands of Russian troops, as well as S-400 missiles and long-range bombers for ongoing joint military drills expected to go to Feb. 20, Lukashenko warned, "If necessary, if such stupid and mindless steps are taken by our rivals and opponents, we will deploy not only nuclear weapons, but super-nuclear and up-and-coming ones to protect our territory," according to AFP. 

It's not the first time he's signaled willingness to host Russian nukes in recent months, but it is an unprecedented moment that one of the major states involved in the current conflict has directly raised the possibility and even willingness for nuclear-armed confrontation. 

President Biden and his administration in the latest statements have alleged Belarus is playing a key role in Russia's encircling Ukraine with tens of thousands of troops in preparation for an attack on the country. The Kremlin has said it will bring the troops home after the scheduled exercises, something which Western officials have disputed. 

According to the latest statements via Bloomberg, the "Russian military will leave Belarus for their permanent bases after the end of training exercises, Interfax reports, citing Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov." This after the Kremlin at the start of this week said it's began reducing units near Ukraine's border in the Russian south.