Alexander Lukashenko threatened to cut natural gas delivery to Europe through a major pipeline because the Belarusian leader promised to retaliate against any new sanctions imposed by the EU in response to the Polish-Belarusian border crisis.
With the support of the Kremlin, Lukashenko made a provocative voice after instigating an immigration crisis at the border, where there are thousands of people, mainly from Middle Eastern countries. When the temperature dropped below freezing, they camped outside.
At the same time, thousands of people marched on the streets of Warsaw to commemorate Poland’s Independence Day, including a far-right group calling on the government to stop immigrants from illegally entering the country. The city government banned demonstrations, but these orders were overturned by conservative laws and the Justice Party-led national government.
The Polish authorities took a strong stance on the crisis and imposed a state of emergency in the border area, allowing the police to ignore asylum applications and immediately expel immigrants. It also prevents NGOs and journalists from entering the border area.
As a punishment for Belarusian actions, the European Union is expected to impose sanctions on up to 30 Belarusian individuals and entities, including the national airline Belavia. Neighbors of Belarus say they may be forced to close their borders.
“We heat EuropeAnd they are still threatening that we will close the border,” Lukashenko said at an emergency meeting with his senior minister on Thursday. “If we cut off [the transit of] Natural gas for them? Therefore, I suggest that the leadership of Poland, Lithuania, and other brainless people think twice before speaking. “
Russia threatened to cut off the Yamal-Europe pipeline in order to put additional pressure on Europe, which saw natural gas prices soar last month due to the international energy crisis.
However, it seems unlikely that EU member states will abandon a new round of sanctions against Lukashenko, who has become the target of brutal suppression of its national opposition and Ryanair’s suspension of flights in May.
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya stated that Lukashenko will not honor the threat. “This is more harmful to him, to Belarus than to Belarus European Union I can consider this to be a bluff,” Tikhanovskaya told AFP, urging European countries to remain firm and not directly communicate with “illegal” leaders.
EU member states called Lukashenko Has made thousands of people Crossed Minsk and headed to the border of the European Union to retaliate against the sanctions imposed on him. Belavia, the national airline of Belarus, Strongly deny It is involved in any activity that sells vulnerable groups to the EU border.
Videos posted on social media indicate that the flow of migrants through Minsk has not slowed down, and hundreds of people may arrive at the border every day.
Poland reported that there were 468 illegal border crossing attempts on Wednesday, with people trying to cut barbed wire or use logs to knock down border fences in certain places.
Other countries bordering Belarus have warned that the border crisis may lead to new military conflicts. In a joint statement on Thursday, the defense ministers of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia called this situation “the most complex security crisis in our region, NATO, and the EU in years.”
The statement said that Belarus’ use of immigration could lead to “provocations and serious incidents, and it could also spread to the military sphere”.
In order to show support for Lukashenko, Moscow has sent nuclear-capable bombers to patrol the skies of western Belarus in the past two days. The Russian Defense Ministry described the patrol as a training exercise for the joint air defense system of the two countries, including a simulated bombing by two Tupolev Tu-160 heavy strategic bombers on Thursday.
“Let them scream and scream,” Lukashenko told his senior officials with belligerent remarks. “Yes, these are bombers that can carry nuclear weapons. But we have no choice. We have to see what they do outside the country.”
Lukashenko also claimed that someone tried to smuggle weapons from eastern Ukraine to border personnel in an attempt to “provoke a conflict between our border guards and them.” He did not provide any evidence for this claim. He said he had discussed it with Vladimir Putin.
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry announced on Thursday that it plans to deploy another 8,500 soldiers and police and 15 helicopters to prevent people from trying to cross the border. Although not part of the European Union, the country expressed concern about being involved in the crisis.
European officials said they expected the crisis to worsen. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the photos of the border camp between Belarus and Poland were “horrible”. “Lukashenko is responsible for this suffering. He abused the people to put pressure on the EU.”
