Belarusian President: Putin Will Not Persuade Other Countries Involving His Soldiers In Special Russian Operations

President Putin with President Lukashenko. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru)

JAKARTA - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko dismissed reports of North Korean troops in Russia, saying taking into account the character of his ally President Vladimir Putin, he believes Moscow will not involve other countries' troops in special operations in Ukraine.

In an interview broadcast Wednesday, President Lukashenko said the deployment of foreign troops in the Ukraine conflict would inevitably lead to an escalation.

The comments came as the United States said for the first time it had seen evidence of North Korean troops in Russia, while South Korean lawmakers said some 3,000 troops had been dispatched.

In a separate interview with the BBC and Russian state television, President Lukashenko also said that any use of Russian nuclear weapons now deployed in Belarus would require his personal approval.

President Lukashenko dismissed suggestions North Korea had sent troops to deploy with Russian troops in a war that had lasted more than two and a half years in Ukraine.

"It's empty," President Lukashenko told the BBC on the sidelines of a summit of the BRICS country-state group.

"Knowing his character, Putin will never try to persuade other countries to involve his troops in Russia's special operations in Ukraine," he continued.

Deploying foreign troops, he said, "would be a step towards an escalation of the conflict if the armed forces of any country, even Belarus, were on the line of contact."

And it will encourage Ukrainian allies to point to foreign engagement "so NATO forces will be deployed to Ukraine."

President Lukashenko told the BBC President Putin "would never use weapons stationed in Belarus without the approval of the President of Belarus".

He said he was "completely ready" to use it, "if not, why own this weapon? But only if a soldier's boots (asing) step into Belarus. We have no plans to attack anyone."