I ask him whether Vladimir Putin has ever asked Lukashenko to provide Belarussian troops for the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.
“Never. Neither he, nor [former Defence Minister] Sergei Shoigu, nor the current Defence Minister Andrei Belousov has ever raised that question.”
But Belarus has played a part in Russia’s war. In February 2022 Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine was launched, partly, from Belarusian territory. Why did the country’s leader allow the Kremlin to do that?
“How do you know I gave permission for Belarusian territory to be used?” Lukashenko asks me.
“Because Belarusian territory was used [for the invasion].”
“There were exercises going on involving several thousand Russian soldiers. Putin started withdrawing these troops from where they were in southern Belarus, down a road, along the border with Ukraine.
“At one point he redirected some of these troops to Kyiv. I’m sure they’d been provoked. It’s up to Putin how he withdraws his troops. Via Kyiv. Or he could have gone through Minsk.”
“Didn’t you call Putin to ask what was going on?” I ask.
“No. He didn’t call me. And I didn’t call him. These are his troops and he has the right to move them out whichever way he likes.”
That comment reflects the degree of influence the Kremlin has in neighbouring Belarus.