Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is warning that the unfurling migrant crisis on the Belarus-Poland border could ‘drag Russia into this maelstrom’ if any wrong step is made
The EU vowed more sanctions against Belarus, accusing President Alexander Lukashenko of using "gangster-style" tactics in the months-long border stand-off in which at least seven migrants have died.
"We currently have a camp of migrants who are blocked from the Belarusian side. There are about 1,000 people there, mostly young men. These are aggressive actions that we must repel, fulfilling our obligations as a member of the European Union." "I ask for asylum in Poland," read a message scrawled in English on a piece of paper held up by a middle-aged man.
It summoned Poland's defence attache on Tuesday to protest what it said were unfounded allegations about the involvement of Belarusian military personnel in the crisis.Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation by phone and expressed concern over the build-up of Polish troops at the border, the Belarusian state news agency Belta reported on Tuesday.
Lithuania also reported a surge in attempted migrant crossings and followed in Poland's footsteps by declaring a state of emergency along its border with Belarus on Tuesday. Poland denies accusations by humanitarian groups that it is violating the international right to asylum by hustling migrants back into Belarus instead of accepting their applications for protection. Warsaw says its actions are legal.