Poland-Belarus tensions escalate, Warsaw wants to close border to Russian and Belarusian cargo trucks

On May 26, the Polish Ministry of the Interior announced a draft regulation to close the country's eastern border to cargo vehicles registered in Belarus and Russia, citing the need to "ensure public safety".

Căng thẳng Ba Lan-Belarus bị đẩy lên, Warsaw muốn đóng biên giới đối với xe chở hàng Nga và Belarus. (Nguồn: Getty Images)

Poland-Belarus tensions escalate, Warsaw wants to close the border to Russian and Belarusian cargo trucks. (Source: Getty Images)

Poland's move comes after a Belarusian court upheld an eight-year prison sentence for Polish-born journalist Andrzej Poczobut, heightening tensions between the two countries.

Poland had earlier closed several border crossings with Belarus after Poczobut was detained and Minsk expelled Polish diplomats.

Belarus said Poland's decision to close border crossings was unjustified and dangerous, accusing Warsaw of causing prolonged delays and failing to implement bilateral agreements.

Poland is believed to be a key refuge for opponents of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

In addition, Poland has also been one of the leading countries supporting Kiev since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022.

Warsaw has accused Belarus of artificially creating a migrant crisis by bringing in people from the Middle East and Africa and trying to push them across the border.

In a development related to relations with Russia, earlier on May 26, Polish lawmakers passed a bill to establish a commission to investigate Russian influence in the country. The opposition sees this as an attempt by the Polish government to launch a “witch hunt” against political opponents ahead of elections later this year.

The bill passed by 234 votes to 219, with one abstention. The committee is expected to investigate the period 2007-2022 and has the power to ban those found to be under Russian influence from holding security and public finance positions for 10 years.

The ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has previously accused the opposition Civic Platform (PO) of making Poland dangerously dependent on Russian fossil fuels during its 2007-2015 rule. PiS has also implied that the PO is under Moscow's control. The PO has rejected PiS' criticism, saying the bill is aimed at removing PO leaders and former Prime Minister Donald Tusk ahead of elections in October or November.

Source