Russia-Ukraine war: Belarus will join fight if even ‘one soldier’ attacks territory, president says

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Italians are increasingly split over Russian invasion in Ukraine

Fox News correspondent Amy Kellogg speaks with Professor Lorenzo De Sio at Rome’s Luiss University about pro-Russian sentiments in Italy.

President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus will launch military action against Ukraine if his country is attacked by even “one soldier.”

“I’m ready to fight together with the Russians from the territory of Belarus in one case only: if so much as one soldier from (Ukraine) comes to our territory with a gun to kill my people,” said Lukashenko.

Lukashenko made the comment Thursday in a press conference hosting foreign reporters at the Independence Palace in Minsk.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin embraces his Belarussian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting in Moscow, Dec. 29, 2018. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/Pool via Reuters)

“This applies to our other neighbors,” Lukashenko added. “If they commit an aggression against Belarus, our response will be the most cruel. The most cruel!”

Lukashenko is the longest-sitting European president, holding the office since it was established in 1994 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Domestic and foreign opponents of the regime have criticized his successive electoral victories as fraudulent. 

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Belarusian border guards check drivers and vehicles near the frontier with Ukraine in the Brest region on Feb. 15, 2023. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)

The government has arrested tens of thousands of political dissidents who question the legitimacy of the Belarusian government.

Belarus remains a strong ally of Russia and supports the invasion of Ukraine. However, the Belarusian government has repeated expressed that there is no intention to join the conflict.

Ukrainian forces are killing nearly 1,000 Russian troops every day, and they eliminated 5,000 troops in a single battle in late January, according to U.K. officials citing data from Ukraine.

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Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko meets with foreign media at the Independence Palace in the capital Minsk on Feb. 16, 2023. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)

Russian troops, including the elite 155th naval infantry, stormed the Ukrainian coal mining city Vuhledar near Dontesk in late January. Ukrainian forces repelled the offensive, however, and killed, injured or captured 5,000 Russian troops. 

Meanwhile, U.K. officials say the war is exacting a heavy toll on Russia, with 824 Russian troops dying each day, according to Ukrainian updates.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

Timothy Nerozzi is a writer for Fox News Digital. You can follow him on Twitter @timothynerozzi and can email him at timothy.nerozzi@fox.com