September 1, Pozirk. Minsk has denounced European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Belarus’ neighboring border areas, calling it an escalation.
Von der Leyen toured Poland and Lithuania on August 31 and September 1 to discuss increased funding for the protection of the European Union’s eastern frontiers.
“While actors in the East and even across the Atlantic are taking steps to restore peace, those in Brussels use slogans of ‘common responsibility’ and ‘defending the democratic world’ to disguise efforts aimed at escalation and the expansion of conflict in our region,” the Belarusian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Minsk further accused the EU of pursuing “an aggressive and overtly militaristic policy,” citing rising military expenditures and attempts to portray Belarus as a threat.
During her visit to the Polish-Belarusian border near Krynki in the Podlaskie region, von der Leyen stressed that Europe’s borders are a shared responsibility. She announced that EU member states bordering Russia and Belarus would receive additional funding.
“For years, you and the Polish people have faced deliberate and cynical hybrid attacks,” she said alongside Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. “Europe stands with you in every possible way. We are tripling our investment in migration and border management.”
Tusk reiterated that the migration crisis at the EU’s eastern borders, ongoing since 2021, was a form of hybrid warfare. He accused Minsk and Moscow of orchestrating groups of migrants to put pressure on Polish and European border security.
The crisis began in spring 2021 after Belarusian leader Alaksandar Łukašenka, angered by EU sanctions, declared that his government would no longer prevent asylum seekers from Africa and Asia from attempting to cross into the EU.
In Vilnius, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda told von der Leyen that Lithuania requires roughly €8 billion to strengthen its defenses. He highlighted regional initiatives such as the Baltic Defense Line—planned by Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania along their borders with Russia and Belarus—as well as Poland’s Shield-East border security program, designed to counter drone incursions and hybrid threats.
