Violence erupts on Poland-Belarus border as Polish guards fire water cannon on migrants throwing rocks
Polish and Belarusian authorities have blamed one another for the Poland’s Ministry of Defense shared footage on Twitter showing Polish officers and soldiers standing shoulder-to-shoulder with riot shields as rocks were lobbed over the barbed wire border fence, describing the scene as an “attack of migrants.” The ministry also Russia, Belarus’ largest political and economic partner, continues to defend Minsk’s handling of the border crisis while also denying any involvement in it. The EU and NATO have restated their support for Poland. The EU’s Foreign Affairs Chief, Josep Borrell has called on Belarus to take “urgent action” to ensure the restoration of security at the border. Jakub Kumoch, the head of the Polish President’s International Policy Bureau, said in a statement on Tuesday night that any new sanctions on Belarus should be “lasting” and “touch as many people as possible responsible for leading to this tragedy.”Matthew Chance, Zahra Ullah and Antonia Mortensen reported near the Poland-Belarus border, and Katharina Krebs reported from Moscow. Eliza Mackintosh wrote from London.
