Belarus president denies sending North Korean troops to Ukraine

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who is considered a pro-Russian figure, has denied sending North Korean troops to Ukraine.

In an interview with the BBC in Kazan, where the BRICS summit was held on the 23rd local time, Lukashenko replied, "It's outrageous," when asked to comment on the North's alleged dispatch of troops to Ukraine.

"Considering the nature of Russian President Putin, we will never try to persuade other countries to participate in Russia's 'special military operation' in Ukraine," he said.

"If the forces of a particular country, even Belarus, are deployed to the front, that's a step towards escalating tensions," he said when asked what he would like if recent reports regarding North Korea's dispatch were confirmed to be true.

It also predicted that if Russia's allies were sent to Ukraine, Ukraine's allies would point to foreign intervention and that "eventually NATO forces would also be deployed to Ukraine."

Lukashenko also told the BBC that Putin would not use tactical nuclear weapons deployed in Belarus without his consent.

He said he was ready to allow the use of nuclear weapons and would only use them if foreign forces set foot in Belarus.

Russia deployed its tactical nuclear missiles to Belarus, an ally and bordering Ukraine, in June last year under the pretext of a "nuclear threat" from the West.