Since the summer of 2021, the crisis has seen dozens of migrants from Belarus daily trying to force their way across the Polish border.
Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov recently said that the authorities in Minsk are “ready to welcome any Polish delegation, experts, specialists and authorities to jointly examine the situation at the border."
On Monday, Pavel Latushka, a Belarusian opposition figure based in Poland, said that Belarus’ strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko, fearing a trade blockade from the West, might be inclined to stop escalating the migration crisis.
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Photo: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
“Based on our knowledge, Lukashenko has held several closed top-level meetings to review potential consequences for the Belarusian economy if Poland decides to close its borders," Latushka said.
“If Lithuania and Latvia were to join this effort, the impact on Belarus' economy would be quite severe, striking at the core of Lukashenko's power structure," he added.
Pavel Latushka. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
Michał Owczarek reports...
Click on the audio player above to listen.
