ASTANA, May 29. /TASS/. During a phone call on May 24 with French President Emmanuel Macron, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said that Minsk would use nuclear weapons only in the event of an attack on Belarus.

"As for Emmanuel Macron, that was the topic of discussion. He said something like: 'Alexander Grigoryevich, there is information that you want to go to war,'" Lukashenko told reporters in Astana. "I said: 'For God’s sake. I am not planning to take any such action - why would I?'"

According to Lukashenko, the French president then referred to the recent joint Belarusian-Russian nuclear forces exercise. "So, you conducted a nuclear exercise with Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin]; you are practically on the verge of starting a nuclear war here. Do you want to use nuclear weapons?" Lukashenko quoted Macron as saying.

"I replied: 'God forbid'. I have said this publicly: there is only one case in which we would do so - if there is aggression against Belarus. That’s all," Lukashenko noted.