Kremlin Alarmed Over Situation at Poland-Belarus Border, Understands Its Complexity
11:27 GMT 10.11.2021 (Updated: 19:04 GMT 03.11.2022)
© AFP 2023 / DIMITAR DILKOFF
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia is very concerned about the situation with refugees at the Belarusian-Polish border, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
"The situation remains extremely tense, moreover, tensions are growing. We are deeply concerned, indeed. We understand the complexity of the situation, but here, of course, we believe that the de facto problem is with people. Several thousand refugees who do not want to stay in Belarus, who require asylum in European countries," Peskov told reporters.
These refugees say they do not want to stay in Poland but want to transit to an EU country, the official added.
Commenting on Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's remark, accusing Russia of pulling the strings behind what Warsaw sees as a Belarusian operation to smuggle migrants into his country, Peskov said that it "is a completely irresponsible and unacceptable statement".
The spokesman stressed that the EU failed to show commitment to humanism when it comes to the situation with refugees.
Migrants use wire cutters to cut the barbed wire as they try to cross the Belarus/Poland border near Kuznica Bialostocka, Poland, in this video-grab released by the Polish Defence Ministry, November 8, 2021
© REUTERS / HANDOUT
"The situation is really extremely tense. The tendency is towards rising tensions, which cannot but worry us. The impending humanitarian catastrophe is visible amid the unwillingness of European colleagues to demonstrate commitment to their European values," Peskov told reporters.
Peskov also noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed about the ongoing crisis by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
In recent months, Poland has reported an influx of migrants trying to cross into the European Union from Belarus and accused Minsk of facilitating illegal migration. Minsk rejected the claims, maintaining that it had no resources to curb the migration crisis due to EU sanctions, imposed against the country.
