Russia accused of taking Belarus 'nuclear hostage' with deal to station missiles there

Ukraine has accused Russia of destabilising Belarus and making its smaller neighbour into "a nuclear hostage" following Vladimir Putin's announcement that Moscow has made a deal to station tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory. The Russian president's suggestions that the move would not breach non-proliferation agreements and that it was consistent with similar arrangements the US had with several of its European allies was given short shrift in Kyiv. Oleksiy Danilov, the head of Ukraine's national security and defence council, called the deal "a step towards internal destabilisation" of Belarus, adding it maximised what he termed the level of "negative…