President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has said that the entry of NATO troops into Ukraine may provoke the beginning of World War III.

He made the remarks during an interview with a Russian TV channel, Caliber.Az reports.

According to the president, now Western countries are sending weapons and mercenaries to Ukraine. At the same time, he and Russian leader Vladimir Putin do not rule out that in the future, soldiers from the North Atlantic Alliance member countries will be directly involved in hostilities.

“It’s their dream to plan operations and realize them from the territory of Ukraine, or even better – from the leaders of Poland to seize Belarus, to stretch this line almost to Leningrad, as it used to be,” Lukashenko added.

The president emphasized that such a development would lead to a new world war. Then the risk of use of tactical and strategic nuclear weapons by the parties will sharply increase.

“They understand it too, and we understand it too. Therefore, it is necessary to sit down at the negotiating table,” Lukashenko added.