Macron urges Lukashenko to demand withdrawal of Russian troops from Belarus

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to demand the speedy withdrawal of Russian troops from Belarus, the Elysee Palace said in a statement after the two leaders' phone talks.

"The President of the French Republic requested the President of Belarus to demand the withdrawal of Russian troops from Belarusian soil as quickly as possible, as these troops are waging a unilateral and unjust war and he emphasized the need to cooperate with the international community in carrying out humanitarian operations to come to the aid of the Ukrainian people," it said.

Macron also condemned the possibility of Russia placing nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory, the statement says.

"The President of the Republic made a point of denouncing the seriousness of a decision which would authorize Russia to deploy nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil," it says.

During the conversation, the president of Belarus called the topic of the possible deployment of nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory "fake.