Lukashenko: "Russians must support us"

Lukashenko said he had ordered half the army to enter combat preparedness and had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin that their troops could unite in the event of a threat from the West.

"If they (NATO troops) don't hold still, it's necessary to use a joint grouping of armed forces, the basis of which is the Belarusian army," Lukashenko said. "The Russians must support us and follow us."

Belarus is Russia's closest ex-Soviet ally, and its territory is an integral part of Moscow's European defense strategy.