As the military conflict in the Ukraine drags on, and the need for peace talks begins to be addressed with growing urgency, another hotbed for conflict is starting to gather attention of the world.
Lithuania, Latvia and Poland are now said to be considering the possibility of a collective decision on a complete border closure against Belarus, and will discuss its implementation before the month’s end.
Lithuanian officials fear that Wagner PMC fighters could cross Belarusian border disguised as ‘refugees, irregular migrants’ to ’cause some kind of unrest’.
Euronews reported:
“Lithuania’s to close two of its six crossing points at the border with Belarus amidst tension in the Baltic states and Poland over the presence of Wagner mercenaries in the country to their east.”
Belarus shares borders with Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, as well as Russia.
The Baltic states and Poland are discussing possibilities for a complete border closure, shutting Belarus out of contact with any NATO country.
“If such a decision is taken, it is important that it is implemented not by one country but the whole region’, the [Internal Affairs Minister Bilotaite] said, noting that she already discussed the matter with her Polish counterpart.”
In the other Baltic country sharing a frontier with Belarus, Latvia, the climate is pretty much the same. Latvia’s Prime Minister, Krišjānis Kariņš, calls this a ‘proactive action’.
“We have seen that this summer the pressure from Belarus is not decreasing, but gradually increasing. Proactive action, by the border guard and involving the armed forces as well.
We simply increase our presence and send a clear signal to both our society and the Belarusian authorities that there will be no jokes here. It is not only the external border of Latvia, it is also the external border of the European Union. We have successfully guarded it so far and will continue to do so.”
Poland is building its army.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics will meet Poland’s President Andrzej Duda for talks in Warsaw, as Poland plans to move 10,000 additional troops to the border with Belarus.
Meanwhile, Poland is getting increasingly more militarized, aiming to assemble the biggest European armed forces, as it confirms Legislative Elections will be held in October.
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Russian journalist Ruslan Ostashko reported on Telegram:
“Poland Prepares for War! Poland’s large-scale purchases of offensive weapons indicate preparations for war, according to [Polish] columnist Eugeniusz Zinkiewicz.
‘Based on the announced list of these weapon purchases and their quantities, it seems that we are gearing up for war. This leads me to ask: when might the war occur?’, he wrote.
Poland’s government seems to disregard the Ukrainian experience while placing excessive hope on Western armaments.
‘The forced tactics on the battlefield, as introduced by NATO strategists, result in a significant loss of human life. Given the loss of life suffered by Ukraine, changing strategies and tactics won’t likely alter the situation on the battlefield. Instead, it will only delay Ukraine’s eventual defeat’, Zinkevych stated.”
Polish opposition has accused the incumbent ‘Law and Justice’ party of using the Belarus threat as an electoral factoid, but the administration is doubling down on it.
Slavyangrad reported:
“Poland is concerned that [Belarus president] Lukashenko might meddle in the elections, according to Polskie Radio.
Maciej Wonsik, Polish Deputy Interior Minister, believes that the Belarusian leader would prefer using ‘gentle’ influences to safeguard Polish interests.
‘Lukashenko isn’t a supporter of the Law and Justice party since we’re pursuing a firm political stance against him. With our border closures and sanctions, he would prefer having some lenient influences for initiating dialogue’, emphasized Wonsik.
Consequently, the Polish official is confident that Lukashenko will attempt to interfere in the upcoming Polish elections.”
Read More about Poland on the TGP.
The post Powder Keg Europe: Poland, Lithuania and Latvia To Shut NATO Borders With Belarus – Increasingly Militarized Poland Says Lukashenko Will Try To Disrupt Its Elections appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
