Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says his country and Russia have agreed to deploy a joint armed unit and that a Ukrainian attack on Belarus is possible.

Belarus's state-run news agency quoted Lukashenko as telling a security council meeting on Monday that the joint deployment was in response to a worsening situation in Belarus's western border areas.

He also said NATO and a number of European countries were "considering options for possible aggression against our country."

It's unclear where the joint unit would be deployed.

Lukashenko has been a supporter of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The move is seen as an attempt by Russian President Vladimir Putin to bolster military ties with Belarus amid a series of setbacks for Russian troops in Ukraine.