Russia will start deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus after the facilities are ready on July 7 and 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced after today's meeting in Sochi with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.

"So everything is according to plan, everything is stable," Putin said, according to a transcript of the conversation released by the Kremlin. "For the most sensitive issues we agreed on, everything is going according to plan. As you know, the preparation of the appropriate facilities ends on July 7-8, and we will immediately begin activities related to the deployment of the appropriate types of weapons on your territory," Putin told Lukashenko, Anatolia reports.

The two presidents have already approved a plan to deploy Russian short-range nuclear missiles on the territory of Moscow's close ally. Weapons in Belarus will remain under Russian command.