Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation on the Belarusian-Polish border by telephone on Friday with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.
The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin and Lukashenko had expressed “grave concern” over the “unacceptable, brutal” actions of the Polish border guards, including the “active use of brute force and special means”.
“Alexander Lukashenko briefed Minsk on the steps taken to de-escalate the crisis and provide humanitarian aid to migrants, as well as a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on November 17,” the statement said.
The presidents of Russia and Belarus noted the importance of establishing co-operation between Minsk and the EU to resolve the issue, the Kremlin added.
More than 8,000 people have so far tried to enter the euroblock this year via the Belarus-EU border, up from just 150 last year.
Polish authorities stepped up border protection on Monday and mobilized more than 12,000 troops as a large group of illegal immigrants began heading to the country’s border with Belarus accompanied by the Belarussian army.
In the past week, at least 2,000 people, including women and children, have been trapped in miserable conditions in the Belarus-Poland border region.
Telephone conversation with Alexander Lukashenko. On top of the agenda is the migration crisis at the Belarusian border with EU countries https://t.co/fXOPEW5sew
— President of Russia (@KremlinRussia_E) November 16, 2021
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