Russia and Belarus have been largely frozen out of international sport since the invasion of Ukraine in February, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommending that athletes and officials from both countries are banned from events.

The majority of International Federations have implemented the suggested measures, which have been drawn increasingly into focus with some sports having already begun qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.

Joint sporting events featuring Russia and Belarus have been held since the sanctions were implemented, including a replacement event for the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics in Khanty-Mansiysk which also featured representation from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Armenia.

Athletes' Commission representatives from the NOCRB and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) met in Moscow to discuss cooperation between the two countries.

Lukashenko - who is the son of authoritarian Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko - expressed hope that measures against both countries could be lifted, and vowed to continue staging events with other allies.

"We see from the discussions here in Moscow the athletes of the two countries have the same questions," he said.

"For our part, as my colleague [ROC President] Stanislav Pozdnyakov noted, we feel a slight warming at the international sports level, we really hope that the illegal sanctions will be lifted.

"Our athletes must prepare for the qualifying competitions, which have already begun, and for the Olympics itself."

He added: "We manage to organise good competitions that allow athletes to get good practice and keep fit.

"We also organise tournaments with countries that are members of the SCO [Shanghai Cooperation Organisation] and BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa] organisations, so all this is very important."

The NOCRB President's comments follow the Russian Football Union scheduling its first three matches since the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's men's national team are set to face Kyrgyzstan, Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina in friendly matches, although high-profile players from the latter nation have spoken out against the proposed fixture.

United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee chair Susanne Lyons has also claimed that the IOC is discussing "whether there is a pathway" for the return of Russian athletes to international sport with National Olympic Committees.

The IOC has said that its recommendations "remain in place for the time being".

The IOC and several international sports bodies have sought to frame the ban on athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus as a "protective measure".

Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Huttsait has urged event organisers to continue their current stances on Russia and Belarus.

Despite the invasion of Ukraine, the ROC and NOCRB have avoided direct sanctions, and the IOC has not recommended measures against Russian and Belarusian elected officials.

The NOCRB has been hit with several sanctions by the IOC which stopped short of a formal suspension after failing to protect athletes who had protested against Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The Belarusian leader was banned from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by the IOC.

He was replaced as President of the NOCRB by Viktor Lukashenko last year, although his son Viktor's election is not recognised by the IOC.

Aleksandr Lukashenko is a key ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin and relies heavily on Russia's support, having been the target of mass protests in 2020 and 2021 following his disputed re-election for a sixth term.