MOSCOW, January 10. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has stated that he considers his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a friend and that they are on the same team both in sports and politics.

"Yes, I consider him my friend and this year (2020 - TASS) he confirmed that not only he is my friend, he is a friend of Belarusian people. Sincerely," he said in an interview aired on the Russia-1 TV channel.

The Belarusian leader had difficulty responding to a question whom else he considers his friends. "This is a hard question. I thought about it many times and I come to the conclusion that, probably, [nobody]." Answering a question about his enemies, the Belarusian president stated that he has "a lot of opponents." "Whether they became enemies, probably, time will tell," he added.

Lukashenko invited journalists to his hockey practice. In response to a question whether he plays hockey with Putin on the same or opposing teams, he noted that he is on the same team with the Russian leader not only on an ice rink but in politics as well. "We don’t play for different teams," the Belarusian president said, stressing that this involves both sports and politics.