Belarus-EU Borders Might Be Closed if Wagner Group Incidents Occur, Poland Says

WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland, Lithuania and Latvia might collectively determine to close their borders with shut Russian ally Belarus if there are critical incidents involving the Wagner group alongside their frontiers with the nation, Poland’s Inside Minister mentioned on Thursday.

NATO member Poland on July 19 determined to maneuver navy items to its east after Wagner mercenaries started coaching Belarusian particular forces just a few miles from its border.

Two days later President Vladimir Putin accused Poland of getting territorial ambitions within the former Soviet Union, and mentioned any aggression in opposition to Belarus could be thought-about an assault on Russia.

“Undoubtedly, ought to there be critical incidents involving the Wagner group on the borders of NATO and EU international locations, resembling Poland, Lithuania or Latvia, we’ll undoubtedly take an motion collectively,” the minister, Mariusz Kaminski, mentioned.

“I don’t exclude that if we determine that that is the suitable reply in the mean time, we’ll result in the whole isolation of Belarus.”

Poland, which denies any territorial ambitions in Belarus, has been an vital refuge for opponents of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, and Warsaw has change into one in all Kyiv’s staunchest supporters since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Highway site visitors between Poland and Belarus has been curbed since February amid deteriorating relations between the 2 international locations.

Poland has additionally accused Belarus of artificially making a migrant disaster on the border by flying in folks from the Center East and Africa and making an attempt to push them throughout the frontier. Belarus has repeatedly denied this.

(Reporting by Marek Strzelecki, Enhancing by William Maclean)

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