MOSCOW: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, claimed Monday that Ukraine was preparing an attack on his country’s territory.

“I’ve said already that today Ukraine is not just discussing but planning strikes on the territory of Belarus,” state news agency Belta quoted Lukashenko as saying.

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“We have agreed to deploy a regional grouping of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus,” he added.