Russia asks Poland to re -analyze the decision to close the border with Belarus: “A step of confrontation, a new escalation”
The spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zaharova, participates in the end of the year press conference of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Moscow, January 14, 2025. Photo source: Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP / Profimedia
Russia has asked Warsaw to urgently reconsider its decision to close the border crossing points with Belarus, said the spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zaharova, who cataloged Poland as “a confrontation step” and “a new escalation”, notes Ria Novosti, according to Polsatnew.pl.
“It is obvious that the confrontation steps taken by the Polish authorities are subordinated to a single purpose: to justify an additional policy of tensions in central Europe,” said Zaharova.
“The unilateral actions of Poland will cause serious damage to its international partners who use the Polish-Balarus border for commercial purposes,” she added.
According to the Russian official, the closing of the border undermines the humanitarian principles, first of all the freedom of circulation of people.
“The inhabitants of the border regions of Poland and Belarus are deprived of the possibility of keeping the tradition of close family and interpersonal contacts.
Poland closes the border with Belarus during the Zapad military exercise coordinated by Russia
Poland will close its border with Belarus on Thursday at midnight, local time, as a result of Zapad military exercises, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Tuesday, against the background of increasing tensions between Minsk and Warsaw.
The military exercises “Zapad-2025” (West-2025), scheduled to take place in western Russia and Belarus, have aroused serious security concerns in neighboring states Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, which are NATO member countries.
“On Friday, the Russian-Belaruse maneuvers, very aggressive from the perspective of military doctrine, will start in Belarus, very close to the border with Poland,” said Tusk, during a government meeting.
“Therefore, for reasons of national security, we will close the border with Belarus, including railway crossings, against the background of Zapad maneuvers at midnight,” added the head of the Warsaw government.
The decision was made before Poland was breaking Russian drones that violated its air space.
