Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said today he had ordered his government to resume contacts with Poland, amid border tensions between Moscow’s ally and its NATO neighbor.

“We have to talk to the Poles. I ordered the prime minister to get in touch with them,” he said, according to state news agency Belta.

Tensions between Minsk and Warsaw are high as they take different positions on the war in Ukraine, with Poland helping Kiev financially and militarily, while Belarus is an ally of Moscow.

NATO member Poland said yesterday, Thursday, that it plans to deploy some 10,000 troops in time to protect, as a “deterrent” measure, its eastern border with Belarus.

According to Lukashenko, the Polish government is seeking “escalation, to worsen the situation to show that it has properly armed and rearmed the country” as Poland’s October 15 (parliamentary) elections approach.

The Belarusian leader said that it is not very likely that there will be “significant changes” in Warsaw’s position that would be “beneficial for them and for us” within two months.

“They demand a lot from us (…) but we cannot accept that, because it would be against our interests,” he said.

Although he also said he was “open to cooperation”, Alexander Lukashenko directly accused “the Americans of betting on Poland” to stoke tensions in the region amid war between Ukraine and Russia.

Poland recently warned of the threat of provocations from Belarus and the possible dangers of the arrival in the country of the Wagner group of Russian mercenaries.

Warsaw also accuses Minsk and Moscow of orchestrating a new influx of migrants to the European Union in order to destabilize the zone.