2024-05-11 12:54 update: 2024-05-14, 12:55
Photo PAP/Paweł Supernak
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who visited the Polish-Belarusian border area on Saturday, said that his country is facing an escalating hybrid war.
Tusk visited the border area and met with Polish border guard and military units following reports that the Belarusian secret police was transporting hundreds of migrants to the border with Poland in an attempt to organise a coordinated crossing attempt.
"In fact, what we are dealing with is an escalating hybrid war," Tusk said while visiting a military unit in the village of Karakule, some 40 kilometres from the border. "I don't want to be any doubts here - Belarus, a state with increasingly hostile intentions towards Poland has been co-organising this activity at the Polish border..."
He said Poland needed to "strengthen its border, both due to the pressure orchestrated by the (Belarusian - PAP) President (Alexander - PAP) Lukashenko regime, but also due to the growing threat resulting from Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the uncertain geopolitical situation."
Tusk went on to say that the Polish government had initiated work on fortifying the border amid increasing crossing attempts.
"I'm aware that the number of those illegal crossings is increasing every day," he said. "We expected that and this is the reason for our today's talks about strengthening the border infrastructure as quickly as possible.
"We have started intensive work on modern fortifications and these fortifications will be built in many dimensions along the entire Polish eastern border," Tusk said, adding that the border is also the EU's external frontier.
He also expressed hope that the EU will contribute to Poland's efforts in this respect.
"Therefore I have no doubts that the whole of Europe will have to - and I know we'll achieve it - invest in its security by investing in Poland's eastern border and its security," he said.
Tusk also reported that he had pledged to Polish military and border guard commanders that "there is no limit of funds when it comes to the security of Poland."
In 2021, Lukashenko, in retaliation for EU sanctions imposed on Minsk, started inviting migrants to Belarus under a false promise of easy access to the EU across the Polish and Lithuanian borders as part of his plan to destabilise the bloc.
In response, Poland has built a border fence to stem the inflow of irregular migrants from Belarus, but despite it being fitted with advanced electronic surveillance equipment, hundreds of migrants are said to be crossing the barrier every month. (PAP)
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