Lukashenko claims Poland is trying to annex Ukraine, Wagner troops want to invade

July 23 (UPI) -- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed Sunday that Poland is trying to annex Ukraine while he's had to restrain Wagner Group fighters from invading the country.

Lukashenko's comments were made in a transcript of a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in a meeting in St. Petersburg provided by the Kremlin and translated from Russian.

According to CNN, the Belarusian president is believed to have been largely joking with his Russian counterpart who smiled at his remarks about the Wagner Group.

"I told you a long time ago, we saw this six months ago and discussed it beforehand. Why did I say all this? For us, Vladimir Vladimirovich, this is unacceptable," Lukashenko said. "The detachment of Western Ukraine, the dismemberment of Ukraine and the transfer of land to Poland is unacceptable."

Lukashenko said the transfer of Ukrainian lands to Poland is "payment" for the country's help in the defense of Ukraine.

"The Americans support this," Lukashenko claimed.

Ukraine is "actively involving mercenaries" in the war and "started to involve Poland," Lukashenko said. He claimed Poland has stationed additional troops at the border of Union State -- the name of the supranational alliance of Russia and Belarus for economic and defense policy.

Poland's Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński announced earlier this month that 500 police officers would be sent to the Belarusian border to beef up security after a surge of migrants attempted to enter the country. Hundreds of people have tried entering Poland from Belarus in recent weeks.

"We can see that the ground is being prepared," Lukashenko claimed. "For example, one of the brigades found its place 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) from Brest."

Lukashenko said Poland has started repairing Leopards on their territory and "activated" an airfield in Rzeszów "where the Americans and others are moving equipment."

The Belarusian leader noted how there is a lot of talk about accepting Ukraine into NATO as he boldly claimed that Poland is trying to annex western Ukraine.

Lukashenko said mercenaries from the Wagner Group that have arrived in Belarus are starting to "stress" him because, he claimed, they want to invade Poland.

"They are asking to go to the West: 'Allow us,'" Lukashenko said. "I said, 'Why do you want to go west?' So they say, 'We control what happens: let's go on an excursion to Warsaw and Rzeszow.'"

Lukashenko said Saturday was a "difficult day" for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which lost 15 Leopards and more than 20 Bradleys in one battle.

"The United States estimates that since the beginning of the counter-terrorist operation, the Armed Forces of Ukraine's casualties, or whatever they are called, amounted to 26,000 people," Lukashenko said.

Putin chimed in, claiming the number of Ukrainian casualties was actually "more."