Nato nuclear weapons would become a primary target for Russia if they were deployed to Poland, Kremlin officials have warned.

“Moves in this direction will not provide greater security (for Poland or other nations that host such weapons),” said Sergei Ryabkov, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister.

Separately, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that any nuclear weapons deployed to Poland would be legitimate targets in the event of war with the alliance.

It came as Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus, said Russia had deployed “several dozen” tactical nuclear weapons in his country.

Belarus said last June it had begun taking delivery of the weapons, the first time that Russia has deployed nuclear missiles in a foreign country since the Soviet era.