MINSK/MOSCOW - Russia would send its troops to help if Belarus were attacked, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday.

"In accordance with our agreement, Russia will send its troops to Belarus. As for which units exactly, it is defined in the text," Lukashenko was quoted as saying by the BelTA news agency.

"We do not want an escalation, and we do not want a war against entire NATO," he said during an interview, adding that if invaded, Belarus would have no other choice but to make a quick response.

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Lukashenko stressed that Belarus' response to aggression will be "quick and adequate".

Belarus reinforced its border with Ukraine last week, accusing Ukraine of violating its airspace during a military incursion into Russia's Kursk region.

Russian coordination council

The Russian defense ministry said on Thursday that it had established a coordination council on military security issues in border areas.

Defense minister Andrey Belousov held the first meeting of the council.

The council is responsible for handling the military security issues covering Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions, said Belousov, adding that it aims to improve the efficiency of comprehensive support for battlegroups protecting the state border, the territory and population of the regions.

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According to the defense ministry, the newly-established council will also focus on engineering work on the territory of regions and military-medical provision, namely, coordinating forces and capabilities for evacuating affected people.