Few people know Vladimir Putin quite as well as Alexander Lukashenko does.

The authoritarian leader of Belarus is a firm Kremlin ally and backer of what Mr Putin refers to as the "special military operation" - what most of the world calls Russia's war in Ukraine. sagaming

Since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine a year ago, Mr Putin hasn't sat down with Western journalists.

But today in Minsk, Mr Lukashenko took questions from a small group of foreign media, including the BBC.

"Last year you allowed your country to be used as a staging ground for Russia's invasion," I reminded Mr Lukashenko. "Are you prepared to do so again?"

"Yes, I'm ready," he replied. "I'm ready to provide [territory] again. I'm also ready to wage war, alongside the Russians, from the territory of Belarus. But only if someone - even a single soldier - enters our territory from there (Ukraine) with weapons to kill my people."