The president of Belarus has said the country will not get involved in the Ukraine war, after Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia was considering the possibility of launching an attack from Belarusian territory.

However, Aleksandr Lukashenko warned that Russia and Belarus would defend themselves together in the event of aggression, in comments reported by the state news agency BELTA, as the two countries conduct nuclear exercises together.

He also said he was "ready to meet and discuss problems" with Zelensky if he "wants to talk."

Zelenskyy warned last week that Russia was seeking to draw Belarus deeper into its war in Ukraine and was considering plans to attack northern Ukraine or a NATO country from Belarusian territory.

Lukashenko, one of Vladimir Putin's closest allies, allowed his territory to be used for part of Russia's invasion in February 2022, although he has not sent Belarusian troops to fight there.

Since then, Belarus has agreed to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles on its territory.

This is not the first time Lukashenko has sought to hold talks with Zelenskyy, who previously said Belarus was complicit in Russia's invasion.