Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, said that the West, Ukraine and Russia must all agree to halt the conflict in Ukraine to avoid the "abyss of nuclear war".

"We must stop, reach an agreement, end this mess, operation and war in Ukraine," Mr. Lukashenko told AFP in an interview.

"Let's stop and then we will figure out how to go on living... There's no need to go further. Further lies the abyss of nuclear war. There's no need to go there."

The strongman accused the West of seeking a conflict with Russia and of provoking the Ukraine war.

"You have fomented the war and are continuing it," he said.

"If Russia had not got ahead of you, members of Nato, you would have organized and struck a blow against it," he said, echoing the views of Russian president Vladimir Putin.