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

On May 26, the Polish Ministry of 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".

Tensions between Poland and Belarus have escalated, with Warsaw seeking 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, further escalating tensions between the two countries.

Poland had previously closed several border crossings with Belarus following Poczobut's detention and Minsk's expulsion of Polish diplomats .

Belarus argues that Poland's decision to close border crossings is illogical and dangerous, accusing Warsaw of causing prolonged delays and failing to implement bilateral agreements.

Poland is believed to be a key refuge for those opposed to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

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

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

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

The bill was passed with a vote of 234 to 219 and one abstention. The committee is scheduled to investigate the period from 2007 to 2022 and will have the power to ban individuals found to have been influenced by Russia from holding security and public finance positions for 10 years.

Previously, the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) accused the opposition Civic Platform (PO) of making Poland dangerously dependent on Russian fossil fuels during its 2007-2015 rule. PiS also implied that the PO was under Moscow's influence. The PO rejected PiS's criticisms, arguing that the bill was only aimed at removing PO leaders and former Prime Minister Donald Tusk ahead of the upcoming October or November elections.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/cang-thang-ba-lan-belarus-bi-day-len-warsaw-muon-dong-bien-gioi-doi-voi-xe-cho-hang-nga-va-belarus-228686.html