Belarus has warned that 'things will turn nasty' if America installs new missiles in Europe.

President Alexander Lukashenko said Minsk and Russia would have to 'think about response measures' if the US carries out such a deployment.

It comes after Vladimir Putin said Russia is militarily ready for a Cuban Missile-style crisis if the US wanted one and threatened to place hypersonic nuclear missiles on ships or submarines near American territorial waters.

Addressing the possible threat to Belarus security, Lukashenko warned today that 'it is a catastrophe, particularly for us'.

Belarus has warned that 'things will turn nasty' if America installs new missiles in Europe. President Alexander Lukashenko (left with Vladimir Putin) warned that Minsk and Russia would have to 'think about response measures' if the US carries out such a deployment

Vladimir Putin has said Russia will target weapons at the US should it deploy new intermediate-range missiles in Europe following America's withdrawal from a key arms control pact

America's withdrawal from the Cold War-era Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty has sparked fears of a new arms race (file picture)

He added: 'I am afraid that Americans will grab the fleeting opportunity and will deploy the missiles in Europe after breaking the treaty.

'If they do, things will turn nasty for us, too. Because together with Russia we will have to think about reciprocal measures. It is unavoidable if it happens.

'It would be even worse if, god forbid, the missiles got deployed in Ukraine.'

Yesterday, Putin said Russia is militarily ready for a Cuban Missile-style crisis if America wanted it.

The Cuban Missile Crisis erupted in 1962 when Moscow responded to a U.S. missile deployment in Turkey by sending ballistic missiles to Cuba, sparking a standoff that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.

More than five decades on, tensions are rising again over Russian fears that the United States might deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe, as a landmark Cold War-era arms-control treaty unravels.

Putin's comments, made to Russian media late on Wednesday, follow his warning that Moscow will match any U.S. move to deploy new missiles closer to Russia by stationing its own missiles closer to the United States or by deploying faster missiles or both.

Putin detailed his warning for the first time, saying Russia could deploy hypersonic missiles on ships and submarines which could lurk outside U.S. territorial waters if Washington now moved to deploy intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe.

'(We're talking about) naval delivery vehicles: submarines or surface ships. And we can put them, given the speed and range (of our missiles)... in neutral waters. Plus they are not stationary, they move and they will have to find them,' Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript.

How the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world to the brink of nuclear armageddon in 1962 The Cuban missile crisis brought the world as close as it has ever been to nuclear war in October 1962. After America's failed attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro, the Cuban strongman allowed the Soviet Union to deploy nuclear missiles in Cuba - putting the warheads in easy striking distance of most of the US. If Russia chose, it could launch the missiles at the US before Washington had a chance to retaliate. Nikita Khrushchev and John F Kennedy during a historic meeting a year before the Cuban Missile Crisis broke out America had already deployed ballistic missiles in Italy and Turkey - putting them within easy striking distance of Moscow. President John F Kennedy informed Americans during a television broadcast on October 22, 1962, that the Soviets had placed missiles on Cuba and that in retalation, the US would erect a blockade around the island to force Castro and Khrushchev to remove to missiles. He announced America would be willing to use military force if necessary to deter what was seen as a threat to national security - and the world waited with baited breathe. On October 24, 1962, another key moment came when Soviet ships heading for Cuba neared the line of U.S. vessels enforcing the blockade. An attempt to breach the blockade would most likely have resulted in a military stand-off, but Soviet ships backed down. A U.S. invasion forces readied itself for an invasion of Cuba but were eventually stood down. Kennedy (pictured) showed restraint by not attacking the Soviets or Cubans A flashpoint which could have triggered all-out war was when an American reconnaissance plane was shot down on October 27, 1962. A U.S. invasion forces readied itself for an invasion of Cuba but were eventually stood down. The 35-year-old pilot of the downed plane, Major Rudolf Anderson, is considered the sole U.S. combat casualty of the Cuban missile crisis. Throughout the tense stand-off, Khrushchev and Kennedy were in contact to try to avoid any military escalation between the two superpowers. On October 26, 1962, Khrushchev sent a message to Kennedy in which he offered to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for a promise by U.S. leaders not to invade Cuba. The following day, Khrushchev sent a letter proposing that the USSR would dismantle its missiles in Cuba if the Americans removed their missile installations in Turkey. Secret negotiations between Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and JFK and between his brother Robert Kennedy, the Attorney General, and Soviet ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin led to a deal. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara said after the incident it would be the 'last Saturday he would ever see' as tensions continued to escalate. The Soviets agreed to withdraw their missiles in return for America pledging not to invade Cuba. The US also secretly promised to remove obsolete missiles from Turkey. Both sides claimed victory as a way of putting a positive PR spin on the crisis. Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro enjoys a steak dinner while holding an impromptu press conference at the Theresa Hotel in Harlem during his visit to New York on September 23, 1960 Advertisement

'You work it out: Mach nine (the speed of the missiles) and over 1,000 km (their range).'

The State Department dismissed Putin's earlier warning as propaganda, saying it was designed to divert attention from what Washington alleges are Moscow's violations of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

It referred queries about Putin's latest remarks to the Pentagon, which did not immediately respond.

The INF pact bans Russia and the United States from stationing short- and intermediate-range land-based missiles in Europe. Washington announced on Feb. 1 it will withdraw from the treaty in six months unless Moscow ends its alleged violations.

Analyst Kingston Reif of the Arms Control Association think tank said Putin may be seeking to signal that Russia can keep up with the United States, to distract from its internal problems or to deflect blame for the parlous state of the INF treaty.

'He may also be trying to send the message that, look, neither side should want this world (of a new arms race) so we should sit down and resume discussions,' Reif said.

Putin has said he does not want an arms race but would have no choice but to act if Washington deployed new missiles in Europe, some of which he says could strike Moscow within 10 to 12 minutes.

The United States does not currently have ground-based intermediate-range nuclear missiles that it could place in Europe but could develop and deploy them if the INF treaty collapses.

Vladimir Putin (left with Lukashenko) promised to target more missiles at the US if America sends new weapons to Europe.

Russia has released video of its Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drone that can be launched from a submarine and carry nuclear warheads

The clip emerged after Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Poseidon - seen by military officials as a giant nuclear-capable torpedo - had been undergoing successful tests

Putin said his naval response to such a move would mean Russia could strike the United States faster than U.S. missiles deployed in Europe could hit Moscow because the flight time would be shorter.

'It (the calculation) would not be in their favour, at least as things stand today. That's for sure.' said Putin.

Relations between Moscow and Washington were strained, he added, but the tensions were not comparable to those of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

'They (the tensions) are not a reason to ratchet up confrontation to the levels of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s. In any case that's not what we want,' said Putin. 'If someone wants that, well OK they are welcome. I have set out today what that would mean. Let them count (the missile flight times).'

Separately, Washington said on Thursday that it was carrying out an observation flight over Russia under the Open Skies Treaty, the first one since 2017.

In a statement, the Pentagon said an unarmed OC-135B aircraft was being used and Russia was aware of the flight.