Belarus says it could supply nuclear energy to parts of Ukraine controlled by Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Belarus is proposing to build a nuclear power plant in the east of the country that could supply electricity to Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine, President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday.

Lukashenko put the idea to Russian President Vladimir Putin at Kremlin talks in Moscow.

"If a decision is made, we will immediately begin building a new power unit or a new station if there is a need (for electricity) in western Russia and in the liberated regions," Lukashenko said, employing the language that Moscow uses to describe Ukrainian territory captured by Russia.

The offer underlined the close ties between Putin and Lukashenko, even as U.S. President Donald Trump pursues a strategy of offering incentives to the Belarusian leader to free political prisoners and improve relations with the West.

Putin responded that "financing is not an issue at all. If there is a consumer who will take electricity and pay the required tariff, it's not a problem at all."

Belarus is a close ally of Moscow and has backed its war in Ukraine, including by allowing Putin's troops to use its territory to enter Ukraine in 2022. Putin meets with Lukashenko more frequently than with any other foreign leader.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Mark Trevelyan and Lucy PapachristouEditing by Andrew Osborn)