China is on a diplomatic blitz and the West is taking note. In recent months, Xi Jinping has met with world leaders, seeking to re-establish ties and settle disagreements. Analysts say Beijing's engagements are an attempt to counter Washington's improvements in ties with countries around the world.

China seeking to re-establish ties & settle disagreements as Ukraine war rages | Key details

Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, will make a state visit to China on February 28, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Saturday. Vladimir Putin's close buddy Lukashenko supported Moscow's invasion of Ukraine because Belarus is politically and economically dependent on its neighbour.

Belarusian President Lukashenko set to visit China

Belarusian President to visit China after personal invitation by Chinese Prez Xi Jinping

Self-proclaimed president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has invited US President Joe Biden to Minsk to meet with Vladimir Putin to "stop the war" against Ukraine.

Ukraine War: Belarus President claims he can help negotiate peace

US President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Poland from February 20-22 to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, Belarus wants Biden to be in Minsk instead as the country's President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who is a staunch supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, wants to "end the war".&nbsp;

Lukashenko has extended an invitation to Biden to visit Minsk and expressed his willingness to mediate between Russia and US.&nbsp;Speaking to the media, Lukashenko said, "Why is Biden going to Poland?”&nbsp;

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He reportedly asked why Biden has decided to go to Poland and&nbsp;said&nbsp;Belarus is "willing to host him in Minsk". Lukashenko said that he is ready to have a "serious conversation" with Biden and Putin if US "wants peace in Ukraine".&nbsp;

The Belarusian president revealed that he is "ready to hold a joint meeting with Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden". 
 
"Even Putin will fly over to Minsk for the trilateral meeting: two ‘aggressors’ and a ‘peace loving’ president. Why not? For the sake of ending the war. If he wants to stop the war," he reportedly said.&nbsp;

He said that if Biden is to visit Poland, he can also visit Minsk as it is not too far away.&nbsp;

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"Poland is nearby, I will send a plane, if anything, a Boeing for him, and we will host him. We have international airports. His Air Force One can land here. Clinton visited us once. Here, in your presence, the three of us... I guarantee you that Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin will come... will sit down and solve the problem. We will be able to solve all the issues here."

It is pertinent to note that Belarus helped Russia earlier by letting Moscow's troops to Ukraine through its 1,000-kilometre Ukrainian-Belarusian border.&nbsp;

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Minsk has also claimed on several occasions that Ukrainian drones have entered Belarus however, there is no evidence to date to substantiate these claims. In the latest, Belarus said that the country would in "no way" send its troops into Ukraine unless it is attacked.&nbsp;

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US President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Poland from February 20-22 to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, Belarus wants Biden to be in Minsk instead as the country's President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who is a staunch supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, wants to "end the war".

US President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Poland from February 20-22 to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, Belarus wants Biden to be in Minsk instead as the country's President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who is a staunch supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, wants to "end the war". Lukashenko has extended an invitation to Biden to visit Minsk and expressed his willingness to mediate between Russia and US. Speaking to the media, Lukashenko said, "Why is Biden going to Poland?” Also Read | The real reason why Microsoft-backed OpenAI developing customisable ChatGPT He reportedly asked why Biden has decided to go to Poland and said Belarus is "willing to host him in Minsk". Lukashenko said that he is ready to have a "serious conversation" with Biden and Putin if US "wants peace in Ukraine". The Belarusian president revealed that he is "ready to hold a joint meeting with Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden". "Even Putin will fly over to Minsk for the trilateral meeting: two ‘aggressors’ and a ‘peace loving’ president. Why not? For the sake of ending the war. If he wants to stop the war," he reportedly said. He said that if Biden is to visit Poland, he can also visit Minsk as it is not too far away. Also Read | Portugal announces to end Golden Visa, downsizes Airbnb rentals to address local housing crises "Poland is nearby, I will send a plane, if anything, a Boeing for him, and we will host him. We have international airports. His Air Force One can land here. Clinton visited us once. Here, in your presence, the three of us... I guarantee you that Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin will come... will sit down and solve the problem. We will be able to solve all the issues here." It is pertinent to note that Belarus helped Russia earlier by letting Moscow's troops to Ukraine through its 1,000-kilometre Ukrainian-Belarusian border. Watch | Japan: Rocket boosters fail to fire, resulting in cancellation of launch Minsk has also claimed on several occasions that Ukrainian drones have entered Belarus however, there is no evidence to date to substantiate these claims. In the latest, Belarus said that the country would in "no way" send its troops into Ukraine unless it is attacked. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Why is Biden going to Poland, should come to Minsk to ‘end the war’: Belarusian president

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko met on Monday in Minsk and discussed the state of relations between the two countries.

Putin lands in Minsk, holds talk with Belarus President Lukashenko

The Russia-Ukraine war is now in its 8th month. Since the very beginning of this war, global powers have picked sides. But one nation that is still almost unconditionally with Russia's so far is its trusted ally Belarus.

Reports: Putin may force Lukashenko to join war

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed that his country's military has modified the SU-24 warplanes to carry nuclear weapons.&nbsp;

Belarus had hosted Russian troops before the Ukraine invasion, however, the country does not possess nuclear weapons.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/why-russia-has-parked-iskander-m-missile-system-along-ukraine-448119">Also Read in Pics:&nbsp;Russia parks&nbsp;Iskander-M missile system along Ukraine</a>

Referring to the potential threat from neighbouring Poland, a NATO ally, Lukashenko, who is a staunch ally of President Putin, said: “They (the West) must understand that if they opt for escalation, no helicopters or planes will save them.” 
 
“It's not a good idea to escalate things with Belarus because that would be an escalation with the Union State (Russia and Belarus) which has nuclear weapons. If they start to create problems...the response will be immediate,” Lukashenko warned amid the Ukraine war.

Watch:&nbsp;&nbsp;Six months of Russia-Ukraine war

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Lukashenko had earlier accused the West of escalating tensions with Russia and provoking the Ukraine&nbsp;war. The Belarus president had said Ukraine must accept the loss of territory amid the war.

"We, along with Putin, said once in St. Petersburg that we will adapt the Belarusian Su 24 planes as well to make them capable to carry nuclear arms. Do you think we were just yakking? Everything is ready!" Lukashenko was quoted as saying in Minsk.

Reports claim Belarus had decommissioned its Su-24 fleet, however, there is no confirmation that it has been put back into action. Putin had promised to supply Iskander-M missile systems to Belarus after he met Lukashenko&nbsp;in St. Petersburg in June.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed that his country's military has modified the SU-24 warplanes to carry nuclear weapons. Belarus had hosted Russian troops before the Ukraine invasion, however, the country does not possess nuclear weapons.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed that his country's military has modified the SU-24 warplanes to carry nuclear weapons. Belarus had hosted Russian troops before the Ukraine invasion, however, the country does not possess nuclear weapons. Also Read in Pics: Russia parks Iskander-M missile system along Ukraine Referring to the potential threat from neighbouring Poland, a NATO ally, Lukashenko, who is a staunch ally of President Putin, said: “They (the West) must understand that if they opt for escalation, no helicopters or planes will save them.” “It's not a good idea to escalate things with Belarus because that would be an escalation with the Union State (Russia and Belarus) which has nuclear weapons. If they start to create problems...the response will be immediate,” Lukashenko warned amid the Ukraine war. Watch: Six months of Russia-Ukraine war Lukashenko had earlier accused the West of escalating tensions with Russia and provoking the Ukraine war. The Belarus president had said Ukraine must accept the loss of territory amid the war. "We, along with Putin, said once in St. Petersburg that we will adapt the Belarusian Su 24 planes as well to make them capable to carry nuclear arms. Do you think we were just yakking? Everything is ready!" Lukashenko was quoted as saying in Minsk. Reports claim Belarus had decommissioned its Su-24 fleet, however, there is no confirmation that it has been put back into action. Putin had promised to supply Iskander-M missile systems to Belarus after he met Lukashenko in St. Petersburg in June. (With inputs from Agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Belarusian warplanes ready to carry nuclear arms, says Putin's ally Lukashenko

It's been almost five months since Russia invaded Ukraine and there are no signs of a halt let alone peace talks. The President of Belarus, one of Russia's closest allies believes that the war must halt to avoid the abyss of nuclear war. Lukashenko insists that the West and Kyiv must now accept Moscow's demands

Russia's closest ally Belarus says 'Let's stop this war'

The Belarus government on Wednesday introduced the death penalty for "attempted" terrorist acts in the country.

President Alexander Lukashenko signed the law which is set to come into force within ten days. Belarus is the only country in Europe to carry out executions.

Belarus had witnessed large scale anti-government protests two years ago amid the re-election row. Lukashenko has been ruling the country for over two decades.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/vladimir-putin-says-russia-will-launch-a-lunar-probe-with-ally-belarus-470521">Also Read:&nbsp;</a><a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/vladimir-putin-says-russia-will-launch-a-lunar-probe-with-ally-belarus-470521" hreflang="en">Vladimir Putin says Russia will launch a lunar probe with ally Belarus</a>

Lukashenko had arrested several protesters along with prominent politicians. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya who had stood against the president was forced to flee the country post the election.

Last year Belarus had charged Tikhanovskaya in absentia for "preparing acts of terrorism as part of an organised group". Tikhanovskaya criticised Lukashenko's latest move calling it a "lawless regime". &nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Belarus President Lukashenko says Ukraine war is dragging

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Lukashenko approved changes to the country's criminal code as the parliament backed the move. Reports claim some activists had disrupted railway lines in the country amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.&nbsp;

Belarus is a close ally of Russia. The two countries had conducted joint military drills ahead of the February 24 Russian invasion.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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The Belarus government on Wednesday introduced the death penalty for "attempted" terrorist acts in the country. President Alexander Lukashenko signed the law which is set to come into force within ten days.

The Belarus government on Wednesday introduced the death penalty for "attempted" terrorist acts in the country. President Alexander Lukashenko signed the law which is set to come into force within ten days. Belarus is the only country in Europe to carry out executions. Belarus had witnessed large scale anti-government protests two years ago amid the re-election row. Lukashenko has been ruling the country for over two decades. Also Read: Vladimir Putin says Russia will launch a lunar probe with ally Belarus Lukashenko had arrested several protesters along with prominent politicians. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya who had stood against the president was forced to flee the country post the election. Last year Belarus had charged Tikhanovskaya in absentia for "preparing acts of terrorism as part of an organised group". Tikhanovskaya criticised Lukashenko's latest move calling it a "lawless regime". Watch: Belarus President Lukashenko says Ukraine war is dragging Lukashenko approved changes to the country's criminal code as the parliament backed the move. Reports claim some activists had disrupted railway lines in the country amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Belarus is a close ally of Russia. The two countries had conducted joint military drills ahead of the February 24 Russian invasion. (With inputs from Agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Now, Belarus approves death penalty for 'attempted' terrorism

A Belarus court has reportedly sentenced opposition leader Syarhei Tikhanovsky to 18 years in prison.

Tikhanovsky had spearheaded protests against Belarus President Lukashenko last year. A politician Mikola Statkevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Syarhei Tikhanovsky's wife Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya who is in exile hit out against the court's decision saying that it was an act of "revenge" by the current government.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/how-belarus-became-gateway-to-eu-for-middle-east-migrants-428982">Read in Pics: How Belarus became gateway to EU for Middle East migrants</a>

Tikhanovsky was arrested last year as he prepared to take on President Lukashenko in the election held in August. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was forced to flee to Lithuania amid protests after Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in the polls.

Sviatlana said the verdict was "illegal" while adding: "I will continue to defend the person I love, who has become a leader for millions of Belarusians."

Earlier this year, a court had convicted ex-presidential contender Viktor Babariko for 14 years over corruption charges. Another leader Maria Kolesnikova was sentenced to eleven years in prison.

(With inputs from Agencies)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

A Belarus court has reportedly sentenced opposition leader Syarhei Tikhanovsky to 18 years in prison. Tikhanovsky had spearheaded protests against Belarus President Lukashenko last year.

A Belarus court has reportedly sentenced opposition leader Syarhei Tikhanovsky to 18 years in prison. Tikhanovsky had spearheaded protests against Belarus President Lukashenko last year. A politician Mikola Statkevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Syarhei Tikhanovsky's wife Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya who is in exile hit out against the court's decision saying that it was an act of "revenge" by the current government. Read in Pics: How Belarus became gateway to EU for Middle East migrants Tikhanovsky was arrested last year as he prepared to take on President Lukashenko in the election held in August. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was forced to flee to Lithuania amid protests after Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in the polls. Sviatlana said the verdict was "illegal" while adding: "I will continue to defend the person I love, who has become a leader for millions of Belarusians." Earlier this year, a court had convicted ex-presidential contender Viktor Babariko for 14 years over corruption charges. Another leader Maria Kolesnikova was sentenced to eleven years in prison. (With inputs from Agencies)

Belarus court sentences opposition leader to 18 years in prison

As the migrant crisis continues between Poland and Belarus, Polish defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak that the issue will continue for months.

Poland's defence minister claimed small migrant groups have been trying to cross the border.

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Yesterday near <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DubiczeCerkiewne?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DubiczeCerkiewne</a> several attempts to force the border occurred. The largest group consisted of about 200 foreigners. The foreigners were aggressive, throwing stones, firecrackers, and using tear gas. <a href="https://t.co/mjbdl5Zair">https://t.co/mjbdl5Zair</a>
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Poland said several attempts were made to force the border near Dubicze Cerkiewne. The authorities said the migrants were "aggressive, throwing stones, firecrackers and using tear gas".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/risk-for-leader-of-belarus-migrants-he-lured-may-want-to-stay-430622/amp">Also Read |&nbsp;Risk for leader of Belarus: Migrants he lured may want to stay</a>

The Western countries have blamed Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko for the crisis at the border.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Belarus clears migrant camps after Merkel speaks to Lukashenko

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Amid the row with Belarus, Estonia had said it was sending 100 troops to Poland, a move which was lauded by &nbsp;Blaszczak.

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We are happy to accept Estonia's proposal. We are conducting talks to agree on the details of this support. More information soon. <a href="https://t.co/KG7U35J45z">https://t.co/KG7U35J45z</a>
— Mariusz Błaszczak (@mblaszczak) <a href="https://twitter.com/mblaszczak/status/1461649366050091014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Although the Belarus president has consistently denied any role in the migrant crisis, however, on Friday he reportedly said that it was "possible" his forces may helped the migrants to cross over to Poland.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/poland-belarus-border-row-continues-as-lukashenko-says-wont-detain-migrants-430617">Also Read:&nbsp;Lukashenko says won't detain migrants</a>

The migrants consist&nbsp;mostly of Iraqi Kurds. Belarus said it had repatriated some people to Iraq, however, several hundred still remain at the border in freezing condictions.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/poland-to-build-a-wall-as-migrant-crisis-escalates-at-belarus-poland-border-429730">Also Read:&nbsp;Poland to build a wall, as migrant crisis escalates at Belarus-Poland border</a>

Poland authorities had earlier said that Belarus was trying to push migrants into the country just hours after it had reportedly pulled them back as&nbsp;border guards accused the &nbsp;Belarusian authorities of bringing the migrants in trucks.

(With inputs from Agencies)

As the migrant crisis continues between Poland and Belarus, Polish defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak that the issue will continue for months. Poland's defence minister claimed small migrant groups have been trying to cross the border.

As the migrant crisis continues between Poland and Belarus, Polish defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak that the issue will continue for months. Poland's defence minister claimed small migrant groups have been trying to cross the border. Yesterday near #DubiczeCerkiewne several attempts to force the border occurred. The largest group consisted of about 200 foreigners. The foreigners were aggressive, throwing stones, firecrackers, and using tear gas. https://t.co/mjbdl5Zair — Poland in the EU (@PLPermRepEU) November 20, 2021 × Poland said several attempts were made to force the border near Dubicze Cerkiewne. The authorities said the migrants were "aggressive, throwing stones, firecrackers and using tear gas". Also Read | Risk for leader of Belarus: Migrants he lured may want to stay The Western countries have blamed Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko for the crisis at the border. Watch: Belarus clears migrant camps after Merkel speaks to Lukashenko Amid the row with Belarus, Estonia had said it was sending 100 troops to Poland, a move which was lauded by Blaszczak. We are happy to accept Estonia's proposal. We are conducting talks to agree on the details of this support. More information soon. https://t.co/KG7U35J45z — Mariusz Błaszczak (@mblaszczak) November 19, 2021 × Although the Belarus president has consistently denied any role in the migrant crisis, however, on Friday he reportedly said that it was "possible" his forces may helped the migrants to cross over to Poland. Also Read: Lukashenko says won't detain migrants The migrants consist mostly of Iraqi Kurds. Belarus said it had repatriated some people to Iraq, however, several hundred still remain at the border in freezing condictions. Also Read: Poland to build a wall, as migrant crisis escalates at Belarus-Poland border Poland authorities had earlier said that Belarus was trying to push migrants into the country just hours after it had reportedly pulled them back as border guards accused the Belarusian authorities of bringing the migrants in trucks. (With inputs from Agencies)

Several attempts made to force the border, says Poland amid migrant crisis with Belarus

&nbsp;He has ruled with an iron fist for 27 years, surviving huge street protests, multiple rounds of Western sanctions and even alleged plots by his benefactor, Russia, to remove him.

But a threat President Alexander Lukashenko has never before had to contend with is now taking shape in a squalid migrant encampment along his country’s border with Poland. Having helped funnel desperate migrants to Europe’s doorstep, Lukashenko suddenly has to deal with people like Bale Nisu, a 21-year-old Kurd from Iraq who has taken a liking to Belarus, and would like to settle here.

Many of the more than 2,000 people marooned on the Belarusian side of the razor wire at Bruzgi, a large, shuttered border crossing, insist they won’t give up on trying to get into the European Union. But growing fears that they might instead get sent back to their home countries has made Nisu and others wonder whether staying put in Belarus could be their best option.

“I want to go to Germany, but if that is impossible, I’ll just stay here,” Nisu said Wednesday after moving into a big warehouse near the border that has been converted into a migrant holding center by Belarusian authorities in an effort to release pressure on the border — and burnish the country’s often grim image.

He lamented that he had spent more than $4,000 and days freezing in the forest only to end up in a poor, highly repressive former Soviet republic with little to offer in the way of jobs and other opportunities.

But, showing rips in his pants, which he maintained were caused by Polish security forces beating him up after an abortive attempt to sneak across the frontier last week, he said that Belarus looked far more enticing than returning to Iraq, or more encounters with Polish soldiers and border guards. He said he wanted to apply for asylum in Belarus.

“Belarus,” he said, “is a very, very good country.”

Dictators don’t usually have to worry about having their country praised, but Lukashenko, often described as “Europe’s last dictator,” could face a serious headache if migrants start demanding political asylum in Belarus. It is a predominantly Orthodox Christian nation with scant experience of taking in foreign immigrants and, like Poland and other East European countries, has been generally hostile to non-Christian settlers from outside Europe.

Belarus has spent weeks denouncing Poland for violating international law by refusing to consider asylum requests and pushing back migrants — mostly people fleeing poverty but some of whom have legitimate claims to asylum as refugees from war or persecution — who make it across the border.

But what Belarus presents as a humanitarian crisis is viewed by the EU as the front line in a “hybrid war” engineered by Lukashenko to pressure Europe into lifting sanctions imposed after a contested presidential election last year.

After clashes at the Bruzgi crossing point Tuesday, Polish forces massed just a few yards from the migrant encampment bombarded the Belarusian side with a recorded message giving a stern warning in English, which few of the migrants understand: “If you don’t follow orders, force may be used against you.”

Scores of migrants Wednesday again pushed toward the razor wire that marks the frontier but did not break through. As evening fell, Polish border guards were uncoiling yet more razor wire near the spot where migrants briefly broke through Tuesday.

With hope of getting into Poland and then Germany draining away, desperate parents sent a group of young girls to the razor wire to plead with Polish guards glowering just yards away. “I love you Poland,” they shouted in English. “Please help me. Please open the door.”

Jangi Rasul, a 36-year-old Iraqi Kurd, said he felt sorry for the Polish forces. “They are freezing like we are and are just following orders they get from politicians playing games,” he said.

Rasul sleeps in a small flimsy tent with his wife and three young children — they have only one sleeping bag — and said he was desperate to move on as the money he raised by selling the family’s car and furniture in Sulaimaniyah, a city in northern Iraq, had nearly run out. He waved what he said was all he has left: 200 Belarusian rubles (about $80).

With Poland’s defence minister declaring Wednesday that his country would fight “for months, if not years” to keep out migrants, the prospects for those hoping to enter the EU through Belarus dimmed further and left Lukashenko with a dilemma: what to do with the thousands of people his country has allowed in but who now can’t get out?

On a visit to Warsaw last month, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the exiled leader of the Belarus opposition, said that between 10,000-15,000 migrants had already arrived in her country and would become “a huge problem for Lukashenko” if they got stuck in Belarus.

“He has to deal with all these people somehow,” she said.

It is not clear where those numbers stand now, but they have clearly been growing rapidly over the past month, though the flow has slowed considerably in recent days as airlines halted flights to Minsk, the Belarusian capital, or barred passengers from selected countries like Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

Asked how Belarus would respond to requests for asylum, Yuri Karayev, a former interior minister who is now an aide to Lukashenko responsible for the border region of Grodno, expressed surprise Wednesday that anyone would really want to settle in Belarus. He said he did not know how the government would respond to asylum requests.

“I’m of course happy if people like it here, but what happens depends on a decision from the president,” he said during a visit to the newly opened holding center for migrants just outside the Bruzgi border zone.

Karayev dismissed accusations by the EU that Belarus had orchestrated the migrant crisis, saying that people had arrived from countries like Iraq of their own accord, flying in on tourist visas that entitled them to roam around the country at will. “We have nothing to do with this crisis,” he said.

He said the government was trying to ease tensions by moving migrants from the border fence. The real culprit, he said, is German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who declared her country open to migrants in 2015.

Around 1,100 people, Karayev said, have already moved to the new holding center. The 800 or so remaining in an encampment that migrants call “the jungle” will be urged to join them in the warehouse, where there is food, bedding, electricity for people to charge their phones and shelter from the biting cold.

Dariya Ibrahim Mohammed, one of those who agreed to move, said he was distraught “after spending so much money and only getting frozen.” He said he would request asylum in Belarus if that was the only way to avoid getting sent back to Iraq.

Another Iraqi, Shajwan Mohammed, said she would like to stay in Belarus with her husband if the doors to the EU remain closed. Exhausted after nearly a month on the road, much of it in the forests that straddle the border with Poland, she said Belarus was not her first choice but “it is much better than going back to Iraq.”

Migrants offer different accounts of the role played by Belarusian security officials in the crisis. Some say they were led to weak points in the border fence and even provided with wire cutters. Others say they organized their own forays into Poland with no help from Belarus.

Aso Ahmed, a 25-year-old Kurd from Iraq, said he had joined two attempts to storm the border en masse, the more recent of which Tuesday led to violent clashes with Polish border guards, who unleashed water cannons and tear gas after being pelted with stones and debris. The efforts, he said, were organized by the migrants, not the Belarusians. “They were not part of it,” he said.

Ahmed, fearing a ruse aimed at gathering people together for deportation to Iraq, has refused to leave the encampment next to the border fence and move to the brick warehouse a few hundred yards away. “It is a trap,” he said. “If I get deported I might as well be dead.”

He has ruled with an iron fist for 27 years, surviving huge street protests, multiple rounds of Western sanctions and even alleged plots by his benefactor, Russia, to remove him.

He has ruled with an iron fist for 27 years, surviving huge street protests, multiple rounds of Western sanctions and even alleged plots by his benefactor, Russia, to remove him. But a threat President Alexander Lukashenko has never before had to contend with is now taking shape in a squalid migrant encampment along his country’s border with Poland. Having helped funnel desperate migrants to Europe’s doorstep, Lukashenko suddenly has to deal with people like Bale Nisu, a 21-year-old Kurd from Iraq who has taken a liking to Belarus, and would like to settle here. Many of the more than 2,000 people marooned on the Belarusian side of the razor wire at Bruzgi, a large, shuttered border crossing, insist they won’t give up on trying to get into the European Union. But growing fears that they might instead get sent back to their home countries has made Nisu and others wonder whether staying put in Belarus could be their best option. “I want to go to Germany, but if that is impossible, I’ll just stay here,” Nisu said Wednesday after moving into a big warehouse near the border that has been converted into a migrant holding center by Belarusian authorities in an effort to release pressure on the border — and burnish the country’s often grim image. He lamented that he had spent more than $4,000 and days freezing in the forest only to end up in a poor, highly repressive former Soviet republic with little to offer in the way of jobs and other opportunities. But, showing rips in his pants, which he maintained were caused by Polish security forces beating him up after an abortive attempt to sneak across the frontier last week, he said that Belarus looked far more enticing than returning to Iraq, or more encounters with Polish soldiers and border guards. He said he wanted to apply for asylum in Belarus. “Belarus,” he said, “is a very, very good country.” Dictators don’t usually have to worry about having their country praised, but Lukashenko, often described as “Europe’s last dictator,” could face a serious headache if migrants start demanding political asylum in Belarus. It is a predominantly Orthodox Christian nation with scant experience of taking in foreign immigrants and, like Poland and other East European countries, has been generally hostile to non-Christian settlers from outside Europe. Belarus has spent weeks denouncing Poland for violating international law by refusing to consider asylum requests and pushing back migrants — mostly people fleeing poverty but some of whom have legitimate claims to asylum as refugees from war or persecution — who make it across the border. But what Belarus presents as a humanitarian crisis is viewed by the EU as the front line in a “hybrid war” engineered by Lukashenko to pressure Europe into lifting sanctions imposed after a contested presidential election last year. After clashes at the Bruzgi crossing point Tuesday, Polish forces massed just a few yards from the migrant encampment bombarded the Belarusian side with a recorded message giving a stern warning in English, which few of the migrants understand: “If you don’t follow orders, force may be used against you.” Scores of migrants Wednesday again pushed toward the razor wire that marks the frontier but did not break through. As evening fell, Polish border guards were uncoiling yet more razor wire near the spot where migrants briefly broke through Tuesday. With hope of getting into Poland and then Germany draining away, desperate parents sent a group of young girls to the razor wire to plead with Polish guards glowering just yards away. “I love you Poland,” they shouted in English. “Please help me. Please open the door.” Jangi Rasul, a 36-year-old Iraqi Kurd, said he felt sorry for the Polish forces. “They are freezing like we are and are just following orders they get from politicians playing games,” he said. Rasul sleeps in a small flimsy tent with his wife and three young children — they have only one sleeping bag — and said he was desperate to move on as the money he raised by selling the family’s car and furniture in Sulaimaniyah, a city in northern Iraq, had nearly run out. He waved what he said was all he has left: 200 Belarusian rubles (about $80). With Poland’s defence minister declaring Wednesday that his country would fight “for months, if not years” to keep out migrants, the prospects for those hoping to enter the EU through Belarus dimmed further and left Lukashenko with a dilemma: what to do with the thousands of people his country has allowed in but who now can’t get out? On a visit to Warsaw last month, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the exiled leader of the Belarus opposition, said that between 10,000-15,000 migrants had already arrived in her country and would become “a huge problem for Lukashenko” if they got stuck in Belarus. “He has to deal with all these people somehow,” she said. It is not clear where those numbers stand now, but they have clearly been growing rapidly over the past month, though the flow has slowed considerably in recent days as airlines halted flights to Minsk, the Belarusian capital, or barred passengers from selected countries like Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Asked how Belarus would respond to requests for asylum, Yuri Karayev, a former interior minister who is now an aide to Lukashenko responsible for the border region of Grodno, expressed surprise Wednesday that anyone would really want to settle in Belarus. He said he did not know how the government would respond to asylum requests. “I’m of course happy if people like it here, but what happens depends on a decision from the president,” he said during a visit to the newly opened holding center for migrants just outside the Bruzgi border zone. Karayev dismissed accusations by the EU that Belarus had orchestrated the migrant crisis, saying that people had arrived from countries like Iraq of their own accord, flying in on tourist visas that entitled them to roam around the country at will. “We have nothing to do with this crisis,” he said. He said the government was trying to ease tensions by moving migrants from the border fence. The real culprit, he said, is German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who declared her country open to migrants in 2015. Around 1,100 people, Karayev said, have already moved to the new holding center. The 800 or so remaining in an encampment that migrants call “the jungle” will be urged to join them in the warehouse, where there is food, bedding, electricity for people to charge their phones and shelter from the biting cold. Dariya Ibrahim Mohammed, one of those who agreed to move, said he was distraught “after spending so much money and only getting frozen.” He said he would request asylum in Belarus if that was the only way to avoid getting sent back to Iraq. Another Iraqi, Shajwan Mohammed, said she would like to stay in Belarus with her husband if the doors to the EU remain closed. Exhausted after nearly a month on the road, much of it in the forests that straddle the border with Poland, she said Belarus was not her first choice but “it is much better than going back to Iraq.” Migrants offer different accounts of the role played by Belarusian security officials in the crisis. Some say they were led to weak points in the border fence and even provided with wire cutters. Others say they organized their own forays into Poland with no help from Belarus. Aso Ahmed, a 25-year-old Kurd from Iraq, said he had joined two attempts to storm the border en masse, the more recent of which Tuesday led to violent clashes with Polish border guards, who unleashed water cannons and tear gas after being pelted with stones and debris. The efforts, he said, were organized by the migrants, not the Belarusians. “They were not part of it,” he said. Ahmed, fearing a ruse aimed at gathering people together for deportation to Iraq, has refused to leave the encampment next to the border fence and move to the brick warehouse a few hundred yards away. “It is a trap,” he said. “If I get deported I might as well be dead.”

Risk for leader of Belarus: Migrants he lured may want to stay

Amid tensions at the border over the migrant crisis, Poland's defence ministry said Belarus forces were sending migrants at the Kuznica border crossing.

Amid the escalating crisis, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned the EU will expand sanctions on Belarus and will target&nbsp;airlines&nbsp;which support "human trafficking".&nbsp;

Some carriers&nbsp;have already declared they won't be undertaking services to Belarus including&nbsp;Turkish Airlines.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/using-desperate-migrants-as-pawns-lukashenko-faces-sanctions-threat-pitches-for-russian-missiles-429281">Also Read:&nbsp;Lukashenko&nbsp;pitches for Russian missiles</a>

"Further sanctions against Belarus will become effective this afternoon. This is now the fifth wave," the European Commission chief said.

Amid the renewed sanctions, President Lukashenko said he did not want the crisis to turn into a conflict, however, he added that although authorities were telling the migrants to return home but they did not want to go back.

Watch:&nbsp;Humanitarian crisis at Belarus-Poland border

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-a-humanitarian-crisis-at-belarus-poland-border-428569/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The EU has accused Lukashenko of engineering the migrant crisis as relations between western nations and Belarus have hit rock bottom in the past year amid sanctions and protests in the country against Lukashenko's government.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/you-are-streetwise-and-i-am-street-tough-lukashenko-to-putin-429290">Also Read:&nbsp;You are streetwise and I am street tough, Lukashenko to Putin</a>

Meanwhile, the Baltic states Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania accused the Lukashenko regime of "instrumentalising migrants for political purposes".

However, the Putin regime which is Lukasheno principal ally defended the Belarus leader asserting that he wasn't creating the situation at the border even as Polish troops continue to push back migrants.

Reports say at least ten migrants have died at the border amid freezing condictions with several families including women and children stranded at the border as thousands of migrants of Middle Eastern origin have been trying to cross into Europe from Poland through the Belarus border even as&nbsp;aid agencies have warned the situation has led to a&nbsp;humanitarian crisis.&nbsp;

(With inputs from Agencies)

Amid tensions at the border over the migrant crisis, Poland's defence ministry said Belarus forces were sending migrants at the Kuznica border crossing. Amid the escalating crisis, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned the EU will expand sanctions on Belarus and will target airlines which support "human trafficking".

Amid tensions at the border over the migrant crisis, Poland's defence ministry said Belarus forces were sending migrants at the Kuznica border crossing. Amid the escalating crisis, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned the EU will expand sanctions on Belarus and will target airlines which support "human trafficking". Some carriers have already declared they won't be undertaking services to Belarus including Turkish Airlines. Also Read: Lukashenko pitches for Russian missiles "Further sanctions against Belarus will become effective this afternoon. This is now the fifth wave," the European Commission chief said. Amid the renewed sanctions, President Lukashenko said he did not want the crisis to turn into a conflict, however, he added that although authorities were telling the migrants to return home but they did not want to go back. Watch: Humanitarian crisis at Belarus-Poland border The EU has accused Lukashenko of engineering the migrant crisis as relations between western nations and Belarus have hit rock bottom in the past year amid sanctions and protests in the country against Lukashenko's government. Also Read: You are streetwise and I am street tough, Lukashenko to Putin Meanwhile, the Baltic states Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania accused the Lukashenko regime of "instrumentalising migrants for political purposes". However, the Putin regime which is Lukasheno principal ally defended the Belarus leader asserting that he wasn't creating the situation at the border even as Polish troops continue to push back migrants. Reports say at least ten migrants have died at the border amid freezing condictions with several families including women and children stranded at the border as thousands of migrants of Middle Eastern origin have been trying to cross into Europe from Poland through the Belarus border even as aid agencies have warned the situation has led to a humanitarian crisis. (With inputs from Agencies)

Russia backs Lukashenko as migrant crisis escalates at Belarus-Poland border

As European governments threatened Belarus with deeper sanctions this week for fomenting the migration crisis on the Belarusian-Polish border, its bombastic leader countered with what sounded like a trump card: He could stop the flow of gas to the West.

There was just one problem: It wasn’t his gas to stop.

So Friday, Russia — which sends much of its gas to Europe via Belarus — had to set the record straight for the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko.

“Russia was, is and will remain a country that fulfills all of its obligations in supplying European customers with gas,” the spokesperson for President Vladimir Putin told reporters.

With thousands of migrants still stranded in the frigid cold on the edge of the European Union — encouraged by Belarus to go there but barred by Poland, an EU member, from crossing its border — the complex relationship between two allied autocrats looms large over the crisis. The mixed messaging over Russia’s natural gas exports was the latest sign that even as Putin continues to back Lukashenko, it is the Belarusian leader — a strongman who once ran a Soviet collective farm — who keeps raising the stakes.

Lukashenko’s Belarus is Russia’s only full-fledged ally in Eastern Europe, the region that Moscow has long seen as its most important sphere of influence. That gives him outsize leverage with Putin, even though his country of 9 million people has a fraction of the size — let alone the military might — of its eastern neighbour.

Now, with tensions between Belarus and the West reaching their highest level since Lukashenko brutally suppressed a popular uprising last year, some allies of the Kremlin say Russia is getting drawn into a crisis not of its choosing.

“We cannot allow the tail to wag the dog,” said Konstantin Zatulin, a senior Russian lawmaker from Putin’s party who specializes in relations with post-Soviet countries. “Lukashenko psychologically wants to be the victor — it is his desire to be macho. Between that desire and our policies, there is a difference that must be seen.”

Lukashenko’s gambit — Western officials have accused him of orchestrating the flow of migrants to the border — has underscored the uneasy alliance between his government and its powerful Russian ally. Last spring, facing a storm of international outrage over the forced landing of a European passenger jet with a Belarusian dissident on board, Lukashenko seemed to have no choice but to bow to his Kremlin benefactors and to assent to deeper integration with them.

But six months later, Lukashenko has wrapped up long-running talks with Putin without appearing to cede much Belarusian sovereignty, and he is again leaving the Kremlin no choice but to double down in its support.

“People in Moscow are totally sick and tired of Lukashenko,” said Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin analyst. “He is the cleverest of negotiators.”

On Friday, in a show of solidarity, Russia flew paratroopers to the vicinity of Belarus’ border with Poland for exercises with Belarusian soldiers. Two paratroopers died from injuries suffered in the exercises, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Earlier in the week, Russia twice sent nuclear-capable bombers on patrols to the same region.

The Belarus defence minister, Viktor Khrenin, asserted that Belarusian and Russian intelligence information showed that EU neighbours, especially Poland, had taken military actions that suggested they were ready to “start a conflict.”

But even some critics of Lukashenko and Putin believe that at some point, the Kremlin will try to pull Belarus back from confrontation.

“I think that in this specific crisis, the impulse to wrap it up will come via Russia,” said Artyom Shraibman, a Belarusian scholar for the Carnegie Moscow Center who was forced to flee Belarus this year. “For Russia, escalation will get uncomfortable.”

In the current crisis, Lukashenko’s goal is simple, if far-fetched, analysts say: to force the EU — which sees him as an illegitimate president — to negotiate with him and to drop its sanctions. A senior EU official said Friday that the bloc had “no information” indicating that Putin had instigated the migrant crisis, but criticized Russia for not influencing Belarus to stop it.

For now, the Kremlin appears content to let Europe struggle with Lukashenko on its own. Though Putin spoke with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany twice this week, Russian officials continue to insist that the Europeans must speak to Belarus directly.

With pressure mounting to end the border crisis, several airlines Friday said they were limiting flights to Belarus from the Middle East, where most of the migrants have travelled from. They include Turkish Airlines, one of the largest carriers to offer flights to Minsk, the Belarusian capital.

At the same time, aid groups described dire conditions for migrants huddled at the border, struggling against the cold and threats of violence. One Iraqi couple and a Syrian man were beaten and robbed, according to the activist coalition Grupa Granica.

The migration crisis comes amid the backdrop of rising tensions between Russia and Belarus’ southern neighbour, Ukraine — a onetime Russian ally that broke away in its pro-Western revolution in 2014. Ukraine’s turn looms large for Moscow, a cautionary tale that the Kremlin is determined not to repeat.

“Putin took Crimea, which is very good, but Putin lost Ukraine,” Markov said. “If he also loses Belarus, he will never be forgiven for it.”

Lukashenko has ruled Belarus since 1994, and for years profited from the competition between Russia and the West for influence in his country, provoking deep frustration in Moscow. That game ended last year, when he declared a landslide reelection victory in a vote widely seen as fraudulent, leading the EU to impose sanctions that continue to rankle him.

With Lukashenko’s opponents seen as too pro-Western, the Kremlin-backed him despite its reservations — saving Lukashenko’s regime but saddling Putin with an ever-more-erratic ally.

In Moscow, many expected the Kremlin’s backing to translate into tighter integration into a “union state” between Russia and Belarus that would have magnified Putin’s geopolitical sway. But those talks ended earlier this fall without an agreement on a common currency or legislature — signalling that Lukashenko was able to retain his independence.

Putin and Lukashenko, both in their late 60s, share a worldview focused on a two-faced, decadent West. Both have overseen harsh crackdowns on dissent in the past year. The 2020 uprising against Lukashenko in a neighbouring, Russian-speaking country spooked the Kremlin, Russian analysts say, and helped prompt Putin’s decision to dismantle the movement of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Lukashenko’s approach toward migration shows how he has sought to manoeuvre between Russia and the West. In 2018, he boasted that his country’s border guards were significantly reducing the trafficking of migrants and drugs into the EU. In recent months, he has swerved the other way, with Western officials saying he has orchestrated a wave of migration through the Minsk airport toward his country’s borders, hoping to embarrass the EU into legitimizing him.

On the ground in Minsk, the human toll of that strategy is evident.

When large numbers of asylum-seekers began arriving over the summer, a rights activist in Minsk said, they came as part of organized tour groups with reservations at the Yubileyny — a hotel complex operated by the presidential administration of the Republic of Belarus.

Now, they are starting to run out of money, said Alena Chekhovich, the activist in Minsk, with some forced to sleep on the street. Others relocated to hostels in the city center, even with expired visas — another sign, Chekhovich claimed, that the Belarusian government, which typically watches closely for migration violations, was exacerbating the crisis.

Chekhovich said many migrants who make it from Minsk to the border are basically marooned in makeshift camps there, monitored by Belarusian border guards who prevent them from returning.

“It’s sad that people are ending up in this situation simply because of the actions of the state,” she said.

As European governments threatened Belarus with deeper sanctions this week for fomenting the migration crisis on the Belarusian-Polish border, its bombastic leader countered with what sounded like a trump card: He could stop the flow of gas to the West.

As European governments threatened Belarus with deeper sanctions this week for fomenting the migration crisis on the Belarusian-Polish border, its bombastic leader countered with what sounded like a trump card: He could stop the flow of gas to the West. There was just one problem: It wasn’t his gas to stop. So Friday, Russia — which sends much of its gas to Europe via Belarus — had to set the record straight for the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko. “Russia was, is and will remain a country that fulfills all of its obligations in supplying European customers with gas,” the spokesperson for President Vladimir Putin told reporters. With thousands of migrants still stranded in the frigid cold on the edge of the European Union — encouraged by Belarus to go there but barred by Poland, an EU member, from crossing its border — the complex relationship between two allied autocrats looms large over the crisis. The mixed messaging over Russia’s natural gas exports was the latest sign that even as Putin continues to back Lukashenko, it is the Belarusian leader — a strongman who once ran a Soviet collective farm — who keeps raising the stakes. Lukashenko’s Belarus is Russia’s only full-fledged ally in Eastern Europe, the region that Moscow has long seen as its most important sphere of influence. That gives him outsize leverage with Putin, even though his country of 9 million people has a fraction of the size — let alone the military might — of its eastern neighbour. Now, with tensions between Belarus and the West reaching their highest level since Lukashenko brutally suppressed a popular uprising last year, some allies of the Kremlin say Russia is getting drawn into a crisis not of its choosing. “We cannot allow the tail to wag the dog,” said Konstantin Zatulin, a senior Russian lawmaker from Putin’s party who specializes in relations with post-Soviet countries. “Lukashenko psychologically wants to be the victor — it is his desire to be macho. Between that desire and our policies, there is a difference that must be seen.” Lukashenko’s gambit — Western officials have accused him of orchestrating the flow of migrants to the border — has underscored the uneasy alliance between his government and its powerful Russian ally. Last spring, facing a storm of international outrage over the forced landing of a European passenger jet with a Belarusian dissident on board, Lukashenko seemed to have no choice but to bow to his Kremlin benefactors and to assent to deeper integration with them. But six months later, Lukashenko has wrapped up long-running talks with Putin without appearing to cede much Belarusian sovereignty, and he is again leaving the Kremlin no choice but to double down in its support. “People in Moscow are totally sick and tired of Lukashenko,” said Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin analyst. “He is the cleverest of negotiators.” On Friday, in a show of solidarity, Russia flew paratroopers to the vicinity of Belarus’ border with Poland for exercises with Belarusian soldiers. Two paratroopers died from injuries suffered in the exercises, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Earlier in the week, Russia twice sent nuclear-capable bombers on patrols to the same region. The Belarus defence minister, Viktor Khrenin, asserted that Belarusian and Russian intelligence information showed that EU neighbours, especially Poland, had taken military actions that suggested they were ready to “start a conflict.” But even some critics of Lukashenko and Putin believe that at some point, the Kremlin will try to pull Belarus back from confrontation. “I think that in this specific crisis, the impulse to wrap it up will come via Russia,” said Artyom Shraibman, a Belarusian scholar for the Carnegie Moscow Center who was forced to flee Belarus this year. “For Russia, escalation will get uncomfortable.” In the current crisis, Lukashenko’s goal is simple, if far-fetched, analysts say: to force the EU — which sees him as an illegitimate president — to negotiate with him and to drop its sanctions. A senior EU official said Friday that the bloc had “no information” indicating that Putin had instigated the migrant crisis, but criticized Russia for not influencing Belarus to stop it. For now, the Kremlin appears content to let Europe struggle with Lukashenko on its own. Though Putin spoke with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany twice this week, Russian officials continue to insist that the Europeans must speak to Belarus directly. With pressure mounting to end the border crisis, several airlines Friday said they were limiting flights to Belarus from the Middle East, where most of the migrants have travelled from. They include Turkish Airlines, one of the largest carriers to offer flights to Minsk, the Belarusian capital. At the same time, aid groups described dire conditions for migrants huddled at the border, struggling against the cold and threats of violence. One Iraqi couple and a Syrian man were beaten and robbed, according to the activist coalition Grupa Granica. The migration crisis comes amid the backdrop of rising tensions between Russia and Belarus’ southern neighbour, Ukraine — a onetime Russian ally that broke away in its pro-Western revolution in 2014. Ukraine’s turn looms large for Moscow, a cautionary tale that the Kremlin is determined not to repeat. “Putin took Crimea, which is very good, but Putin lost Ukraine,” Markov said. “If he also loses Belarus, he will never be forgiven for it.” Lukashenko has ruled Belarus since 1994, and for years profited from the competition between Russia and the West for influence in his country, provoking deep frustration in Moscow. That game ended last year, when he declared a landslide reelection victory in a vote widely seen as fraudulent, leading the EU to impose sanctions that continue to rankle him. With Lukashenko’s opponents seen as too pro-Western, the Kremlin-backed him despite its reservations — saving Lukashenko’s regime but saddling Putin with an ever-more-erratic ally. In Moscow, many expected the Kremlin’s backing to translate into tighter integration into a “union state” between Russia and Belarus that would have magnified Putin’s geopolitical sway. But those talks ended earlier this fall without an agreement on a common currency or legislature — signalling that Lukashenko was able to retain his independence. Putin and Lukashenko, both in their late 60s, share a worldview focused on a two-faced, decadent West. Both have overseen harsh crackdowns on dissent in the past year. The 2020 uprising against Lukashenko in a neighbouring, Russian-speaking country spooked the Kremlin, Russian analysts say, and helped prompt Putin’s decision to dismantle the movement of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Lukashenko’s approach toward migration shows how he has sought to manoeuvre between Russia and the West. In 2018, he boasted that his country’s border guards were significantly reducing the trafficking of migrants and drugs into the EU. In recent months, he has swerved the other way, with Western officials saying he has orchestrated a wave of migration through the Minsk airport toward his country’s borders, hoping to embarrass the EU into legitimizing him. On the ground in Minsk, the human toll of that strategy is evident. When large numbers of asylum-seekers began arriving over the summer, a rights activist in Minsk said, they came as part of organized tour groups with reservations at the Yubileyny — a hotel complex operated by the presidential administration of the Republic of Belarus. Now, they are starting to run out of money, said Alena Chekhovich, the activist in Minsk, with some forced to sleep on the street. Others relocated to hostels in the city center, even with expired visas — another sign, Chekhovich claimed, that the Belarusian government, which typically watches closely for migration violations, was exacerbating the crisis. Chekhovich said many migrants who make it from Minsk to the border are basically marooned in makeshift camps there, monitored by Belarusian border guards who prevent them from returning. “It’s sad that people are ending up in this situation simply because of the actions of the state,” she said.

Migrant crisis in Belarus tests Putin’s uneasy alliance with Lukashenko

Migrants continued to pour into the Polish border as police said some broke through the defences on Belarus said and entered the country.

The situation at the Polish-Belarus border has been tense as migrants mainly from the Middle East have sought a passage into Europe amid tensions between the two countries. Reports claim Belarus has sent more troops at the border.

British foreign secretary Liz Truss asserted that the responsibility to end the crisis at the border was Russia's "responsibility".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/we-have-nothing-to-do-with-it-says-putin-on-belarus-poland-migrant-crisis-429022">Also Read:&nbsp;We have nothing to do with it, says Putin on Belarus-Poland migrant crisis</a>

The UK foreign secretary said Russia must "press the &nbsp;Belarusian authorities" to end the crisis at the border. Kremlin had earlier blamed EU officials for the situation at the border.

Watch:&nbsp;Belarus threatens to cut off gas to EU

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/poland-belarus-migrant-crisis-belarus-threatens-to-cut-off-gas-to-eu-428814/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Belarusian officials have said at least 2,000 people including women and children have been stranded at the border, although Polish authorities have put the figure much higher.

The British foreign secretary accused President Lukashenko of "using desperate migrants as pawns" to create instability in the region.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/migrant-crisis-in-belarus-tests-putins-uneasy-alliance-with-lukashenko-429134">Also Read:&nbsp;Migrant crisis in Belarus tests Putin’s uneasy alliance with Lukashenko</a>

Relations between the West and Belarus has hit a new low due to the crisis.&nbsp;EU had imposed a string of sanctions on Lukashenko's regime last year over alleged human rights abuses and internal unrest over controversial domestic elections.

EU's top official Josep Borrell said the block will extend its sanctions on the country amid the migrant crisis.

As tension mounted at the border, Lukashenko said he wants "500-kilometres missile systems" - the Iskander to deploy in the south and west.

Lukashenko asserted that he needs "several divisions". Belarus and Polish troops had recently conducted a paratrooper drill close to the Polish border.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Migrants continued to pour into the Polish border as police said some broke through the defences on Belarus said and entered the country. The situation at the Polish-Belarus border has been tense as migrants mainly from the Middle East have sought a passage into Europe amid tensions between the two countries.

Migrants continued to pour into the Polish border as police said some broke through the defences on Belarus said and entered the country. The situation at the Polish-Belarus border has been tense as migrants mainly from the Middle East have sought a passage into Europe amid tensions between the two countries. Reports claim Belarus has sent more troops at the border. British foreign secretary Liz Truss asserted that the responsibility to end the crisis at the border was Russia's "responsibility". Also Read: We have nothing to do with it, says Putin on Belarus-Poland migrant crisis The UK foreign secretary said Russia must "press the Belarusian authorities" to end the crisis at the border. Kremlin had earlier blamed EU officials for the situation at the border. Watch: Belarus threatens to cut off gas to EU Belarusian officials have said at least 2,000 people including women and children have been stranded at the border, although Polish authorities have put the figure much higher. The British foreign secretary accused President Lukashenko of "using desperate migrants as pawns" to create instability in the region. Also Read: Migrant crisis in Belarus tests Putin’s uneasy alliance with Lukashenko Relations between the West and Belarus has hit a new low due to the crisis. EU had imposed a string of sanctions on Lukashenko's regime last year over alleged human rights abuses and internal unrest over controversial domestic elections. EU's top official Josep Borrell said the block will extend its sanctions on the country amid the migrant crisis. As tension mounted at the border, Lukashenko said he wants "500-kilometres missile systems" - the Iskander to deploy in the south and west. Lukashenko asserted that he needs "several divisions". Belarus and Polish troops had recently conducted a paratrooper drill close to the Polish border. (With inputs from Agencies)

'Using desperate migrants as pawns': Lukashenko faces sanctions threat, pitches for Russian missiles

Russia and Belarus conducted joint military drills near the Polish border amid the tensions over the migrant crisis.

The paratrooper exercise was conducted at the Gozhsky range in western Belarus with the Russian Il-76 aircraft and Belarusian helicopter taking part in the exercise. Amid tensions with Poland over the migrant crisis, Belarusian defence minister Viktor Khrenin said his forces were "ready to respond harshly to any attacks".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/amid-poland-belarus-border-migrant-crisis-russia-flies-bombers-over-belarus-428313">Also Read:&nbsp;Amid Poland-Belarus border migrant crisis, Russia flies bombers over Belarus</a>

EU nations have accused Belarus President Lukashenko of escalating the migrant issue as several people mainly of Middle Eastern origin including women and children have gathered at the Polish border in order to enter Europe with many&nbsp;pushed back by Polish soldiers.

Watch:&nbsp;Belarus threatens to cut off gas to EU

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German foreign minister Heiko Maas accused Lukashenko of carrying out "inhumane activities" and said that the "EU is prepared to draw consequences". The migrant row has been brewing for some months as Poland two months ago had built a razor-wire border fence to keep the migrants at bay.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/belarus-bans-iraqis-syrians-and-yemenis-from-boarding-incoming-turkey-flights-to-curb-migrant-crisis-428794">Also Read:&nbsp;Belarus bans Iraqis, Syrians and Yemenis from boarding incoming Turkey flights to curb the migrant crisis</a>

Reports say at least ten migrants have died during the current crisis as Poland said it feared armed escalation as more migrants massed at the border.

Amid the row, Lukashenko threatened to cut gas supplies to Europe as relations between the Belarus and EU continued to go downhill.&nbsp;Russia however added that its ally did not consult Moscow on cutting gas flow to Europe.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/putin-masterminding-the-migrant-crisis-at-poland-belarus-border-claims-polish-pm-428130">Also Read:&nbsp;Putin masterminding the migrant crisis at Poland-Belarus border, claims Polish PM</a>

US Vice-President Kamala Harris said the Biden administration was "very concerned" and paying close attention to the unfolding situation at the Polish-Belarus border while adding that &nbsp;Lukashenko was involved in "very troubling activity".

(With inputs from Agencies) 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Russia and Belarus conducted joint military drills near the Polish border amid the tensions over the migrant crisis. The paratrooper exercise was conducted at the Gozhsky range in western Belarus with the Russian Il-76 aircraft and Belarusian helicopter taking part in the exercise.

Russia and Belarus conducted joint military drills near the Polish border amid the tensions over the migrant crisis. The paratrooper exercise was conducted at the Gozhsky range in western Belarus with the Russian Il-76 aircraft and Belarusian helicopter taking part in the exercise. Amid tensions with Poland over the migrant crisis, Belarusian defence minister Viktor Khrenin said his forces were "ready to respond harshly to any attacks". Also Read: Amid Poland-Belarus border migrant crisis, Russia flies bombers over Belarus EU nations have accused Belarus President Lukashenko of escalating the migrant issue as several people mainly of Middle Eastern origin including women and children have gathered at the Polish border in order to enter Europe with many pushed back by Polish soldiers. Watch: Belarus threatens to cut off gas to EU German foreign minister Heiko Maas accused Lukashenko of carrying out "inhumane activities" and said that the "EU is prepared to draw consequences". The migrant row has been brewing for some months as Poland two months ago had built a razor-wire border fence to keep the migrants at bay. Also Read: Belarus bans Iraqis, Syrians and Yemenis from boarding incoming Turkey flights to curb the migrant crisis Reports say at least ten migrants have died during the current crisis as Poland said it feared armed escalation as more migrants massed at the border. Amid the row, Lukashenko threatened to cut gas supplies to Europe as relations between the Belarus and EU continued to go downhill. Russia however added that its ally did not consult Moscow on cutting gas flow to Europe. Also Read: Putin masterminding the migrant crisis at Poland-Belarus border, claims Polish PM US Vice-President Kamala Harris said the Biden administration was "very concerned" and paying close attention to the unfolding situation at the Polish-Belarus border while adding that Lukashenko was involved in "very troubling activity". (With inputs from Agencies)

Russia, Belarus conduct military drills near Polish border amid migrant crisis

Amid tension at the Polish border over the migrant crisis, Russia said claims by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki that Putin's regime was responsible was "unacceptable".

The Russian defence ministry said two Russian bombers carried out flights over Belarus.

The the nuclear-capable&nbsp;fighter jets were Tu-22M3 bombers which conducted tests on the two countries' joint air defence system, it said.

Polish PM Morawiecki had earlier accused Belarus of "state terrorism" as thousands of migrants gathered at the border while saying that he believed it was&nbsp;"quiet revenge" by Lukashenko for supporting the opposition.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/putin-masterminding-the-migrant-crisis-at-poland-belarus-border-claims-polish-pm-428130">Also Read:&nbsp;Putin masterminding the migrant crisis at Poland-Belarus border, claims Polish PM</a>

Reports claimed migrants tried to breach the border once again as Polish authorities pushed them back. The migrants are mainly from the Middle East who have been trying to enter Europe.&nbsp;

Amid the escalating crisis, German President Angela Merkel called Putin to stop the "instrumentalisation of migrants by the Belarusian regime" declaring that it was "inhumane and unacceptable".

Watch:&nbsp;Migrant crisis at border between Poland and Belarus

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The Russian president reportedly said the EU should directly speak to Lukashenko over the crisis.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/poland-accuses-lukashenkos-regime-of-hybrid-attack-amid-migrant-crisis-428032">Also Read:&nbsp;Poland accuses Lukashenko’s regime of 'hybrid attack' amid migrant crisis</a>

Migrants continued to pour along the Poland-Belarus border braving the sub-zero temperatures as Polish guards continued to block their entry.

Meanwhile, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called the situation refugee situation "appalling" as she urged states to take immediate steps to de-escalate.

Reports said Polish authorities have detained at least 50 migrants as the country's defence ministry said there were attacks on the Polish border in several places.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Amid tension at the Polish border over the migrant crisis, Russia said claims by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki that Putin's regime was responsible was "unacceptable".

Amid tension at the Polish border over the migrant crisis, Russia said claims by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki that Putin's regime was responsible was "unacceptable". The Russian defence ministry said two Russian bombers carried out flights over Belarus. The the nuclear-capable fighter jets were Tu-22M3 bombers which conducted tests on the two countries' joint air defence system, it said. Polish PM Morawiecki had earlier accused Belarus of "state terrorism" as thousands of migrants gathered at the border while saying that he believed it was "quiet revenge" by Lukashenko for supporting the opposition. Also Read: Putin masterminding the migrant crisis at Poland-Belarus border, claims Polish PM Reports claimed migrants tried to breach the border once again as Polish authorities pushed them back. The migrants are mainly from the Middle East who have been trying to enter Europe. Amid the escalating crisis, German President Angela Merkel called Putin to stop the "instrumentalisation of migrants by the Belarusian regime" declaring that it was "inhumane and unacceptable". Watch: Migrant crisis at border between Poland and Belarus The Russian president reportedly said the EU should directly speak to Lukashenko over the crisis. Also Read: Poland accuses Lukashenko’s regime of 'hybrid attack' amid migrant crisis Migrants continued to pour along the Poland-Belarus border braving the sub-zero temperatures as Polish guards continued to block their entry. Meanwhile, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called the situation refugee situation "appalling" as she urged states to take immediate steps to de-escalate. Reports said Polish authorities have detained at least 50 migrants as the country's defence ministry said there were attacks on the Polish border in several places. (With inputs from Agencies)

Amid Poland-Belarus border migrant crisis, Russia flies bombers over Belarus

Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland's Prime Minister, has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of engineering the migration crisis on the country's border with Belarus.

"(Belarusian leader) Lukashenko is the executor of the latest assault, but this assault has a sponsor who is to be found in Moscow, and this sponsor is President Putin," Morawiecki said during an emergency debate in the Polish parliament.

At least 2,000 migrants are stranded at the border in subzero temperatures.

According to the prime minister, the situation at the border is part of Russia's campaign to destabilise an area that it ruled during the Soviet era. 
 
Watch | Gravitas: Poland blocks hundreds of migrants at Belarus border

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"Our eastern border's security is being blatantly compromised." 
 
"This is the first time in 30 years that we can declare our borders' integrity is being tested," he added.

Watch:&nbsp;Migrants aided by Belarus try to storm border into Poland

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According to Moscow and Minsk, the Russian and Belarussian leaders spoke by phone on Tuesday about the border tensions between Poland and Belarus.&nbsp;

Belarus's president, Alexander Lukashenko, disputes that the country is sending individuals over the border in retaliation for EU sanctions.&nbsp;

Poland reinforced its border with Belarus with additional riot police a day after parties attempted to storm a barbed-wire barrier. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/orchestrated-influx-poland-blocks-migrants-at-belarus-border-as-it-warns-of-an-armed-escalation-427860">Also Read:&nbsp;Poland blocks migrants at Belarus border</a>

Thousands of migrants and refugees remain en masse on Poland's eastern border, on the brink of the European Union.&nbsp;

The European Union said on Tuesday that it is keeping a close eye on 20 nations, including Russia, for their suspected involvement in the transfer of migrants to Belarus, which Brussels accuses of coordinating the flood of migrants at its external frontiers.

Thirteen countries have been sanctioned for allegedly transporting migrants to Minsk via planes.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland's Prime Minister, has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of engineering the migration crisis on the country's border with Belarus.

Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland's Prime Minister, has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of engineering the migration crisis on the country's border with Belarus. "(Belarusian leader) Lukashenko is the executor of the latest assault, but this assault has a sponsor who is to be found in Moscow, and this sponsor is President Putin," Morawiecki said during an emergency debate in the Polish parliament. At least 2,000 migrants are stranded at the border in subzero temperatures. According to the prime minister, the situation at the border is part of Russia's campaign to destabilise an area that it ruled during the Soviet era. Watch | Gravitas: Poland blocks hundreds of migrants at Belarus border "Our eastern border's security is being blatantly compromised." "This is the first time in 30 years that we can declare our borders' integrity is being tested," he added. Watch: Migrants aided by Belarus try to storm border into Poland According to Moscow and Minsk, the Russian and Belarussian leaders spoke by phone on Tuesday about the border tensions between Poland and Belarus. Belarus's president, Alexander Lukashenko, disputes that the country is sending individuals over the border in retaliation for EU sanctions. Poland reinforced its border with Belarus with additional riot police a day after parties attempted to storm a barbed-wire barrier. Also Read: Poland blocks migrants at Belarus border Thousands of migrants and refugees remain en masse on Poland's eastern border, on the brink of the European Union. The European Union said on Tuesday that it is keeping a close eye on 20 nations, including Russia, for their suspected involvement in the transfer of migrants to Belarus, which Brussels accuses of coordinating the flood of migrants at its external frontiers. Thirteen countries have been sanctioned for allegedly transporting migrants to Minsk via planes. (With inputs from agencies)

Putin masterminding the migrant crisis at Poland-Belarus border, claims Polish PM

Russian President Putin spoke to Belarus President Lukashenko&nbsp;as thousands of migrants sought to enter Poland triggering a crisis at the border.

Poland had sealed the border to stop migrants entering the country as it deployed military personnel.&nbsp;Putin and Lukashenko reportedly discussed the migrant standoff at the Polish border.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/orchestrated-influx-poland-blocks-migrants-at-belarus-border-as-it-warns-of-an-armed-escalation-427860">Also Read:&nbsp;Poland blocks migrants at Belarus border</a>

Belarus accused Poland of deploying troops without warning. The migrants mainly from the Middle East had earlier tried to break the border fence as Polish President Andrzej said: "The Belarusian regime is attacking the Polish border."

Belarus foreign ministry warned against any "provocations" by the Polish side as tensions escalated between the two countries.

Watch:&nbsp;Migrants aided by Belarus try to storm border into Poland

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Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki added that Belarus was engaging in a "hybrid attack" as he defiantly maintained that the country won't be "intimidated and will defend peace in Europe with our partners from NATO and EU."

Relations between Belarus and the EU have been on tenterhooks amid sanctions over Lukashenko’s&nbsp;human rights record and elections conducted last year which had led to large scale protests.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/to-fight-west-aggression-belarus-may-turn-into-joint-military-base-with-russia-says-president-alexander-lukashenko-417737">Also Read:&nbsp;Belarus may turn into joint military base with Russia, says Lukashenko</a>

Poland's defence ministry had said that migrants who have set up camp in the Kuznica region were being "guarded" by Belarusian services even as Germany appealed to the EU to take action.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-uses-robots-tactical-vehicles-during-joint-drill-with-belarus-412474">Also Read:&nbsp;Russia uses robots, tactical vehicles during joint drill with Belarus</a>

Amid the unfolding crisis, Polish authorities said at least seven migrants had died.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Russian President Putin spoke to Belarus President Lukashenko as thousands of migrants sought to enter Poland triggering a crisis at the border. Poland had sealed the border to stop migrants entering the country as it deployed military personnel.

Russian President Putin spoke to Belarus President Lukashenko as thousands of migrants sought to enter Poland triggering a crisis at the border. Poland had sealed the border to stop migrants entering the country as it deployed military personnel. Putin and Lukashenko reportedly discussed the migrant standoff at the Polish border. Also Read: Poland blocks migrants at Belarus border Belarus accused Poland of deploying troops without warning. The migrants mainly from the Middle East had earlier tried to break the border fence as Polish President Andrzej said: "The Belarusian regime is attacking the Polish border." Belarus foreign ministry warned against any "provocations" by the Polish side as tensions escalated between the two countries. Watch: Migrants aided by Belarus try to storm border into Poland Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki added that Belarus was engaging in a "hybrid attack" as he defiantly maintained that the country won't be "intimidated and will defend peace in Europe with our partners from NATO and EU." Relations between Belarus and the EU have been on tenterhooks amid sanctions over Lukashenko’s human rights record and elections conducted last year which had led to large scale protests. Also Read: Belarus may turn into joint military base with Russia, says Lukashenko Poland's defence ministry had said that migrants who have set up camp in the Kuznica region were being "guarded" by Belarusian services even as Germany appealed to the EU to take action. Also Read: Russia uses robots, tactical vehicles during joint drill with Belarus Amid the unfolding crisis, Polish authorities said at least seven migrants had died. (With inputs from Agencies)

Poland accuses Lukashenko’s regime of 'hybrid attack' amid migrant crisis

To withstand the Western aggression, the Belarusian republic may turn into a joint military base with Russia, said President Alexander Lukashenko. &nbsp;

The BelTA news agency has quoted the president as saying in an interview with CNN. &nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-submarines-transfer-to-australia-threatens-non-proliferation-regime-russia-417390" hreflang="en">US submarines transfer to Australia threatens non-proliferation regime: Russia</a>

"If we need to, Belarus will turn into one military base for Russia and Belarus in order to withstand your aggression, if you decide, or if any one country decides to attack. And you should be clear on this, I have never made any secret of it," the president said. &nbsp;&nbsp;

While responding to a query as to whether there are any military objects on Belarusian territory as of now, he said that "there are no bases of any country, including Russia, except for two, one can say, with a civilian designation". &nbsp;&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/georgia-holds-vote-after-ex-president-saakashvilis-arrest-417633" hreflang="en">Georgia holds vote after ex-president Saakashvili's arrest</a>

The Belarusian president is also ready to step down when the West stops putting pressure on his country and its sovereignty is guaranteed completely. &nbsp;

"I swear, I am not going to be president even until the day I die. I swear. Everything will depend on the situation in Belarus," the president said. &nbsp;

"If you, your handlers in the West, don’t meddle from wherever in our situation and if we feel confident and calm as a sovereign independent state, as people who deserved to be sovereign and independent, believe me, everything will happen earlier than you think. Yet if you only dare once again, like last year, to interfere in our events, it won’t end well," the leader added. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) &nbsp;&nbsp;

To withstand the Western aggression, the Belarusian republic may turn into a joint military base with Russia, said President Alexander Lukashenko. The BelTA news agency has quoted the president as saying in an interview with CNN.

To withstand the Western aggression, the Belarusian republic may turn into a joint military base with Russia, said President Alexander Lukashenko. The BelTA news agency has quoted the president as saying in an interview with CNN. Also Read | US submarines transfer to Australia threatens non-proliferation regime: Russia "If we need to, Belarus will turn into one military base for Russia and Belarus in order to withstand your aggression, if you decide, or if any one country decides to attack. And you should be clear on this, I have never made any secret of it," the president said. While responding to a query as to whether there are any military objects on Belarusian territory as of now, he said that "there are no bases of any country, including Russia, except for two, one can say, with a civilian designation". Also Read: Georgia holds vote after ex-president Saakashvili's arrest The Belarusian president is also ready to step down when the West stops putting pressure on his country and its sovereignty is guaranteed completely. "I swear, I am not going to be president even until the day I die. I swear. Everything will depend on the situation in Belarus," the president said. "If you, your handlers in the West, don’t meddle from wherever in our situation and if we feel confident and calm as a sovereign independent state, as people who deserved to be sovereign and independent, believe me, everything will happen earlier than you think. Yet if you only dare once again, like last year, to interfere in our events, it won’t end well," the leader added. (With inputs from agencies)

To fight West aggression, Belarus may turn into joint military base with Russia, says President Alexander Lukashenko

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus President alexander Lukashenko on Thursday agreed on economic policies that are aimed at integrating the two ex-Soviet countries more closely.

They said that they were in agreement on 28 programmes unifying their economies. However, both leaders stopped short of discussing political integration. It is thought that such an integration it is long sought by Moscow but resisted by Lukashenko.

After talks in the Kremlin, Putin said the agreements mean the countries will eventually have a unified "macro-economic policy".

The Belarus strongman -- increasingly isolated since orchestrating a ruthless crackdown on the opposition -- assured that Russia would not "swallow" his country.&nbsp;

The agreements are part of the implementation of a 1999 "union state" agreement. This foresees the creation of a single parliament, a single currency and common state symbols.&nbsp;

Putin said that Belarus is a "good neighbour" that shares Russia's "history and spiritual values."

The Russian leader said that while the pair did not discuss "political integration"

"We did not talk about this," Putin said, adding that it was first necessary to "create an economic base" before integrating politically.&nbsp;

The Kremlin has sought to deepen integration but Lukashenko, who for years relied on Moscow for cheap oil and loans, has resisted closer integration.

"Belarusians and Russians do not feel like foreigners in each other's countries," Lukashenko said.&nbsp; 
"Together we are stronger." &nbsp;

The countries are about to begin the Zapad-2021 military exercises that are closely monitored by NATO, and Belarus has recently taken delivery of Russian war planes to be stationed on Belarus's border with the EU.

Putin, in power for more than 20 years, and Lukashenko, in power for nearly 30 years, have had a volatile relationship.

(With inputs from agencies)

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus President alexander Lukashenko on Thursday agreed on economic policies that are aimed at integrating the two ex-Soviet countries more closely.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus President alexander Lukashenko on Thursday agreed on economic policies that are aimed at integrating the two ex-Soviet countries more closely. They said that they were in agreement on 28 programmes unifying their economies. However, both leaders stopped short of discussing political integration. It is thought that such an integration it is long sought by Moscow but resisted by Lukashenko. After talks in the Kremlin, Putin said the agreements mean the countries will eventually have a unified "macro-economic policy". The Belarus strongman -- increasingly isolated since orchestrating a ruthless crackdown on the opposition -- assured that Russia would not "swallow" his country. The agreements are part of the implementation of a 1999 "union state" agreement. This foresees the creation of a single parliament, a single currency and common state symbols. Putin said that Belarus is a "good neighbour" that shares Russia's "history and spiritual values." The Russian leader said that while the pair did not discuss "political integration" "We did not talk about this," Putin said, adding that it was first necessary to "create an economic base" before integrating politically. The Kremlin has sought to deepen integration but Lukashenko, who for years relied on Moscow for cheap oil and loans, has resisted closer integration. "Belarusians and Russians do not feel like foreigners in each other's countries," Lukashenko said. "Together we are stronger." The countries are about to begin the Zapad-2021 military exercises that are closely monitored by NATO, and Belarus has recently taken delivery of Russian war planes to be stationed on Belarus's border with the EU. Putin, in power for more than 20 years, and Lukashenko, in power for nearly 30 years, have had a volatile relationship. (With inputs from agencies)

Russia, Belarus agree on deepening economic integration

Police in Belarus on Wednesday searched and detained employees of an independent news agency. This is being seen as an escalation in crackdown on the media.

The ex-Soviet country is in a political turmoil since last August. Incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed victory but opponents say that the elections were rigged

In the wake of the protests, Belarus has sought to eradicate any remaining pockets of dissent, cracking down on the opposition, rights groups and media not under state control.&nbsp;

Police on Wednesday searched home of Irina Levshina, editor-in-chief of BelaPan news agency

before taking her to the outlet's newsroom for a search there, reported website Naviny.by, which is owned by BelaPan.

BelaPan deputy editor Alexander Zaitsev said his home was also searched and his phone, computer and other devices were confiscated.

He said it was part of an investigation into public order offences.

Later on Wednesday, Naviny.by said that BelaPan's accountant and its former director had been taken to a detention centre in the capital Minsk.

Naviny.by also reported that BelaPan's website was down.&nbsp;

AFP journalists in Moscow and Paris were unable to access it as of 1230 GMT.

The Belarusian Association of Journalists called for the "immediate" release of all BelaPan employees.&nbsp; 
"You can close independent media, detain their employees and scare people. But nobody can hold back thoughts and ideas," the group said in a statement.&nbsp;

BelaPan is not openly pro-opposition but it carries critical material not seen in most other Belarusian media, and its offices have been raided in the past.

In January, the outlet's headquarters were searched and a former employee was arrested and later charged with treason.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Police in Belarus on Wednesday searched and detained employees of an independent news agency. This is being seen as an escalation in crackdown on the media. The ex-Soviet country is in a political turmoil since last August.

Police in Belarus on Wednesday searched and detained employees of an independent news agency. This is being seen as an escalation in crackdown on the media. The ex-Soviet country is in a political turmoil since last August. Incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed victory but opponents say that the elections were rigged In the wake of the protests, Belarus has sought to eradicate any remaining pockets of dissent, cracking down on the opposition, rights groups and media not under state control. Police on Wednesday searched home of Irina Levshina, editor-in-chief of BelaPan news agency before taking her to the outlet's newsroom for a search there, reported website Naviny.by, which is owned by BelaPan. BelaPan deputy editor Alexander Zaitsev said his home was also searched and his phone, computer and other devices were confiscated. He said it was part of an investigation into public order offences. Later on Wednesday, Naviny.by said that BelaPan's accountant and its former director had been taken to a detention centre in the capital Minsk. Naviny.by also reported that BelaPan's website was down. AFP journalists in Moscow and Paris were unable to access it as of 1230 GMT. The Belarusian Association of Journalists called for the "immediate" release of all BelaPan employees. "You can close independent media, detain their employees and scare people. But nobody can hold back thoughts and ideas," the group said in a statement. BelaPan is not openly pro-opposition but it carries critical material not seen in most other Belarusian media, and its offices have been raided in the past. In January, the outlet's headquarters were searched and a former employee was arrested and later charged with treason. (With inputs from agencies)

Belarus: News agency targetted by police amid crackdown

A Belarusian NGO has accused the regime of strongman Alexander Lukashenko of being behind the murder of its head Vitaly&nbsp;Shishov, who was found hanged in a park in Ukraine's capital.

"There is no doubt that this is an operation planned by Chekists to liquidate a Belarusian who presented a true danger to the regime," the Belarusian House in Ukraine said in a statement, referring to security service agents.

Police said they were considering the possibility of suicide or of a murder staged to appear as a suicide.

Shishov had been found with abrasions on his nose and knee but it was too early to determine whether he had been attacked, Ukraine's national police chief, Ihor Klymenko, told a briefing.

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Shishov, 26, had felt under constant surveillance since he left Belarus last year after taking part in anti-government protests, his colleagues said. He had been warned about possible threats, including being kidnapped or killed.

Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania have become havens for Belarusians during a security crackdown by President Alexander Lukashenko following a disputed election last year. Tens of thousands of people have been detained and leading opposition figures are either in jail or living abroad.

"It is worrying that those who flee Belarus still can't be safe," exiled opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Twitter ahead of a meeting in London with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. She said the death could be a crime.

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We are in contact with <a href="https://twitter.com/MFA_Ukraine?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MFA_Ukraine</a> regarding the death of Belarusian activist Vital Shyshou &amp; the incident with athlete Krystsina Tsymanouskaya, whose husband fled from Belarus to Ukraine. Grateful to 🇺🇦 authorities for a prompt reaction &amp; support of repressed Belarusians. <a href="https://t.co/xceuafCjZ1">pic.twitter.com/xceuafCjZ1</a>
— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tsihanouskaya/status/1422562368970711041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Murder probe

UN human rights spokeswoman Marta Hurtado told reporters in Geneva that "the situation (in Belarus) is deteriorating clearly". &nbsp;

The US embassy in Kiev said the death came "amid an unacceptable Belarusian crackdown on civil society" and called on Ukraine to do a "complete and thorough investigation".&nbsp;

In Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price renewed a call "for an end to the crackdown, the immediate release of all political prisoners" and free elections.

Ukrainian police had earlier said a murder probe has been opened.&nbsp;

Igor Klymenko, head of the national police, told reporters that officers were pursuing two main leads: suicide and murder disguised as a suicide. He said the activist had scratches on his nose and body which were consistent with a fall.

Several hundred people rallied outside the Belarus embassy in Kiev on Tuesday evening, many holding white and red flags associated with the Belarusian opposition.

'Not safe' abroad

The head of the Belarusian House in Warsaw, Ales Zarembiuk, said&nbsp;he was "100 percent convinced" that&nbsp;Shishov&nbsp;was murdered in a bid to frighten the Belarusian diaspora, whose organisations supported last year's protests.&nbsp;

According to Zarembiuk,&nbsp;Shishov&nbsp;ran an account on Telegram that exposed KGB agents.&nbsp;

Zarembiuk,&nbsp;who said he never walks alone,&nbsp;said Belarusians are less safe in Ukraine than in neighbouring Poland because of its ongoing war with pro-Russia separatists.&nbsp;

"He may not have been killed by a KGB agent, but it was definitely on their orders."

Belarus has a history of political killings and disappearances, and regime critics have claimed that the Belarusian security services run death squads that hunt down and target Lukashenko opponents.

Kiev has been accused of not properly investigating the killing of Belarusian journalist Pavel Sheremet in Kiev in 2016.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was "closely following the findings of the police", his spokesman Sergiy Nikiforov said.

(With inputs from agencies)

A Belarusian NGO has accused the regime of strongman Alexander Lukashenko of being behind the murder of its head Vitaly Shishov, who was found hanged in a park in Ukraine's capital.

A Belarusian NGO has accused the regime of strongman Alexander Lukashenko of being behind the murder of its head Vitaly Shishov, who was found hanged in a park in Ukraine's capital. "There is no doubt that this is an operation planned by Chekists to liquidate a Belarusian who presented a true danger to the regime," the Belarusian House in Ukraine said in a statement, referring to security service agents. Police said they were considering the possibility of suicide or of a murder staged to appear as a suicide. Shishov had been found with abrasions on his nose and knee but it was too early to determine whether he had been attacked, Ukraine's national police chief, Ihor Klymenko, told a briefing. Shishov, 26, had felt under constant surveillance since he left Belarus last year after taking part in anti-government protests, his colleagues said. He had been warned about possible threats, including being kidnapped or killed. Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania have become havens for Belarusians during a security crackdown by President Alexander Lukashenko following a disputed election last year. Tens of thousands of people have been detained and leading opposition figures are either in jail or living abroad. "It is worrying that those who flee Belarus still can't be safe," exiled opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Twitter ahead of a meeting in London with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. She said the death could be a crime. We are in contact with @MFA_Ukraine regarding the death of Belarusian activist Vital Shyshou & the incident with athlete Krystsina Tsymanouskaya, whose husband fled from Belarus to Ukraine. Grateful to 🇺🇦 authorities for a prompt reaction & support of repressed Belarusians. pic.twitter.com/xceuafCjZ1 — Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) August 3, 2021 × Murder probe UN human rights spokeswoman Marta Hurtado told reporters in Geneva that "the situation (in Belarus) is deteriorating clearly". The US embassy in Kiev said the death came "amid an unacceptable Belarusian crackdown on civil society" and called on Ukraine to do a "complete and thorough investigation". In Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price renewed a call "for an end to the crackdown, the immediate release of all political prisoners" and free elections. Ukrainian police had earlier said a murder probe has been opened. Igor Klymenko, head of the national police, told reporters that officers were pursuing two main leads: suicide and murder disguised as a suicide. He said the activist had scratches on his nose and body which were consistent with a fall. Several hundred people rallied outside the Belarus embassy in Kiev on Tuesday evening, many holding white and red flags associated with the Belarusian opposition. 'Not safe' abroad The head of the Belarusian House in Warsaw, Ales Zarembiuk, said he was "100 percent convinced" that Shishov was murdered in a bid to frighten the Belarusian diaspora, whose organisations supported last year's protests. According to Zarembiuk, Shishov ran an account on Telegram that exposed KGB agents. Zarembiuk, who said he never walks alone, said Belarusians are less safe in Ukraine than in neighbouring Poland because of its ongoing war with pro-Russia separatists. "He may not have been killed by a KGB agent, but it was definitely on their orders." Belarus has a history of political killings and disappearances, and regime critics have claimed that the Belarusian security services run death squads that hunt down and target Lukashenko opponents. Kiev has been accused of not properly investigating the killing of Belarusian journalist Pavel Sheremet in Kiev in 2016. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was "closely following the findings of the police", his spokesman Sergiy Nikiforov said. (With inputs from agencies)

Belarus NGO says Alexander Lukashenko 'planned' exiled activist Vitaly Shishov's murder

During his Independence Day speech to the armed forces of the former Soviet republic, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, dubbed as Europe's last dictator, said that Jews 'controlled the world' and managed to force the world to remember the Holocaust.

According to the news report published in Haaretz, Lukashenko said that "the Jews managed to force the world to remember the Holocaust. The entire world grovels before them and gives in to them. They are afraid to say a single word out of place,".

"We are tolerant and likeable. We left things alone until it got to the point where others started attacking us and the memory of our efforts," he added.

He suggested that Belarus should do more to bring the Nazi occupation of Eastern Europe into international awareness. 
 
Watch | WION Edit: The lessons from the Holocaust

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The Israel govt said the comments were "unacceptable" and summoned the chargé d’affaires at the Belarus embassy in Israel for a meeting to discuss the incident.

During the Holocaust, 90% of Belarus' Jewish community — 800,000 individuals — were killed.

The topic of local collaboration with the occupying Germans has been a source of fierce controversy in Belarus, as it has been in other countries in the region, including Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Latvia.

Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994 and is the target of US and EU sanctions, delivered the remarks at a memorial service for Soviet troops who died in World War II on July 3, Belarus Independence Day.

(With inputs from agencies)

During his Independence Day speech to the armed forces of the former Soviet republic, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, dubbed as Europe's last dictator, said that Jews 'controlled the world' and managed to force the world to remember the Holocaust.

During his Independence Day speech to the armed forces of the former Soviet republic, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, dubbed as Europe's last dictator, said that Jews 'controlled the world' and managed to force the world to remember the Holocaust. According to the news report published in Haaretz, Lukashenko said that "the Jews managed to force the world to remember the Holocaust. The entire world grovels before them and gives in to them. They are afraid to say a single word out of place,". "We are tolerant and likeable. We left things alone until it got to the point where others started attacking us and the memory of our efforts," he added. He suggested that Belarus should do more to bring the Nazi occupation of Eastern Europe into international awareness. Watch | WION Edit: The lessons from the Holocaust The Israel govt said the comments were "unacceptable" and summoned the chargé d’affaires at the Belarus embassy in Israel for a meeting to discuss the incident. During the Holocaust, 90% of Belarus' Jewish community — 800,000 individuals — were killed. The topic of local collaboration with the occupying Germans has been a source of fierce controversy in Belarus, as it has been in other countries in the region, including Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Latvia. Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994 and is the target of US and EU sanctions, delivered the remarks at a memorial service for Soviet troops who died in World War II on July 3, Belarus Independence Day. (With inputs from agencies)

World bows to Jews, says Belarusian President Lukashenko in anti-Semitic outburst

After the US imposed sanctions on several top Belarus officials, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/european-union-imposes-new-sanctions-on-belarus-after-plane-re-routing-391990">European Union</a> blacklisted the country's defence minister&nbsp;Viktor Khrenin and transport minister&nbsp;Alexei Avramenko&nbsp;over the plane diversion row.

The EU added 71 individuals including Russian tycoon Mikhail Gutseriyev, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-removes-belarusian-opposition-leader-sviatlana-tsikhanouskaya-from-wanted-list-391626">Lukashenko's</a> son Dmitry and daughter-in-law Liliya to the sanctions list.

Watch:

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EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had earlier said that new sanctions would be imposed against "86 people and entities".

EU states are set to impose fresh sanctions on Belarus' financial, oil, tobacco and potash sectors, reports said as Austria's foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg stated that Europe is set to "tighten the thumbscrews" over the country's "air piracy".

President Lukashenko's government had earlier forced a Ryanair flight to land and forcibly arrested dissident blogger Roman Protasevich who was onboard leading EU nations to come down heavily against the regime.

The EU had earlier slapped sanctions against 88 individuals last year&nbsp;over crackdown on protests as&nbsp;President Lukashenko claimed victory in polls which was deemed fraudulent by European officials.

Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya claimed victory in the polls but was forced to leave&nbsp;the country.

Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet said that the situation in Belarus continues to deteriorate.

Bachelet hit out against restrictions on freedom of expression including raids against civil society. The rights chief said there were numerous reports of "arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture and ill-treatment."

(With inputs from Agencies)

After the US imposed sanctions on several top Belarus officials, the European Union blacklisted the country's defence minister Viktor Khrenin and transport minister Alexei Avramenko over the plane diversion row.

After the US imposed sanctions on several top Belarus officials, the European Union blacklisted the country's defence minister Viktor Khrenin and transport minister Alexei Avramenko over the plane diversion row. The EU added 71 individuals including Russian tycoon Mikhail Gutseriyev, Lukashenko's son Dmitry and daughter-in-law Liliya to the sanctions list. Watch: EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had earlier said that new sanctions would be imposed against "86 people and entities". EU states are set to impose fresh sanctions on Belarus' financial, oil, tobacco and potash sectors, reports said as Austria's foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg stated that Europe is set to "tighten the thumbscrews" over the country's "air piracy". President Lukashenko's government had earlier forced a Ryanair flight to land and forcibly arrested dissident blogger Roman Protasevich who was onboard leading EU nations to come down heavily against the regime. The EU had earlier slapped sanctions against 88 individuals last year over crackdown on protests as President Lukashenko claimed victory in polls which was deemed fraudulent by European officials. Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya claimed victory in the polls but was forced to leave the country. Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet said that the situation in Belarus continues to deteriorate. Bachelet hit out against restrictions on freedom of expression including raids against civil society. The rights chief said there were numerous reports of "arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture and ill-treatment." (With inputs from Agencies)

EU blacklists Belarus ministers as US slaps sanctions on officials

Belarusian opposition said on Monday that&nbsp;Jailed journalist Roman Protasevich was&nbsp;paraded as 'trophy' in latest public appearance&nbsp;made under duress.

Protasevich sat alongside four officials, two of whom were in uniform, saying he had not been made to cooperate with the authorities and that he was in good health after being arrested last month when his Ryanair flight was forced to land in Minsk.

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"Everything is fine with me. Nobody beat me, nobody touched me," he said. "I understand the damage I have caused not only to the state, but also to the country. Now I want to do everything in my power to rectify this situation."

Protasevich has made several appearances since his plane was forced to land in Minsk while on a May 23 flight from Greece to Lithuania via Belarusian air space. He has admitted to plotting to topple President Alexander Lukashenko by organising "riots" and recanted earlier criticism of the veteran leader.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/belarus-opposition-leader-accuses-lukashenko-of-turning-country-into-north-korea-of-europe-387485">Belarus opposition leader accuses Lukashenko of turning country into 'North Korea of Europe'</a>

"No matter what he says, let's not forget: he is a hostage. And the regime is using him as a trophy," Franak Viacorka, a senior adviser to exiled Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, wrote on Twitter.

"This is not a press conference but a scene of either Kafka or Orwell."

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The Ryanair incident has shown that the international response can be swift, decisive, and effective. We can speak with a unified voice – for the sake of the freedom in Belarus, for the sake of European and global citizens’ safety. For the sake of all of us! <a href="https://t.co/QkOH9aQy9K">pic.twitter.com/QkOH9aQy9K</a>
— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tsihanouskaya/status/1404363505596313602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Belarus of the Brain, the blogging outlet that Protasevich ran before his arrest, said his latest appearance was made under duress and showed the "strongest psychological pressure" being exerted on the 26-year-old.

Previously, authorities said Protasevich is an extremist who has facilitated violence. They have maintained that televised confessions by members of the opposition were made voluntarily.

There was an international uproar when the Athens-to-Warsaw Ryanair flight on which Protasevic and his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega were travelling was intercepted by a Belarusian fighter and forced to land in Minsk.

The European Union has imposed sanctions including assets freezes and visa bans and told European operators not to use Belarusian air space.

But two senior officials at Monday's news conference reiterated the official line in Minsk that the flight had to be diverted because they had received a &nbsp;bomb threat from the Palestinian group Hamas.

Several Western leaders have dismissed this version of events, notably German Chancellor Angela Merkel who described it as "completely implausible".

Belarus has been shaken by unprecedented mass protests since the disputed re-election last year of Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled since 1994 with the support of Russia.

Lukashenko has responded with a crackdown on protesters, jailing many and forcing many others into exile.

Belarusian opposition said on Monday that Jailed journalist Roman Protasevich was paraded as 'trophy' in latest public appearance made under duress. Protasevich sat alongside four officials, two of whom were in uniform, saying he had not been made to cooperate with the authorities and that he was in good health after being arrested last month when his Ryanair flight was forced to land in Minsk.

Belarusian opposition said on Monday that Jailed journalist Roman Protasevich was paraded as 'trophy' in latest public appearance made under duress. Protasevich sat alongside four officials, two of whom were in uniform, saying he had not been made to cooperate with the authorities and that he was in good health after being arrested last month when his Ryanair flight was forced to land in Minsk. "Everything is fine with me. Nobody beat me, nobody touched me," he said. "I understand the damage I have caused not only to the state, but also to the country. Now I want to do everything in my power to rectify this situation." Protasevich has made several appearances since his plane was forced to land in Minsk while on a May 23 flight from Greece to Lithuania via Belarusian air space. He has admitted to plotting to topple President Alexander Lukashenko by organising "riots" and recanted earlier criticism of the veteran leader. Also read| Belarus opposition leader accuses Lukashenko of turning country into 'North Korea of Europe' "No matter what he says, let's not forget: he is a hostage. And the regime is using him as a trophy," Franak Viacorka, a senior adviser to exiled Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, wrote on Twitter. "This is not a press conference but a scene of either Kafka or Orwell." The Ryanair incident has shown that the international response can be swift, decisive, and effective. We can speak with a unified voice – for the sake of the freedom in Belarus, for the sake of European and global citizens’ safety. For the sake of all of us! pic.twitter.com/QkOH9aQy9K — Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) June 14, 2021 × Belarus of the Brain, the blogging outlet that Protasevich ran before his arrest, said his latest appearance was made under duress and showed the "strongest psychological pressure" being exerted on the 26-year-old. Previously, authorities said Protasevich is an extremist who has facilitated violence. They have maintained that televised confessions by members of the opposition were made voluntarily. There was an international uproar when the Athens-to-Warsaw Ryanair flight on which Protasevic and his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega were travelling was intercepted by a Belarusian fighter and forced to land in Minsk. The European Union has imposed sanctions including assets freezes and visa bans and told European operators not to use Belarusian air space. But two senior officials at Monday's news conference reiterated the official line in Minsk that the flight had to be diverted because they had received a bomb threat from the Palestinian group Hamas. Several Western leaders have dismissed this version of events, notably German Chancellor Angela Merkel who described it as "completely implausible". Belarus has been shaken by unprecedented mass protests since the disputed re-election last year of Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled since 1994 with the support of Russia. Lukashenko has responded with a crackdown on protesters, jailing many and forcing many others into exile.

Belarus opposition says jailed journalist paraded as 'trophy' in latest public appearance

As Europe continued its&nbsp;crackdown on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/belarus-imposes-trade-barriers-on-ukraine-amid-plane-row-388073">Belarus</a>&nbsp;on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed close ties with the country during his talks with Lukashenko.

Watch:

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Putin met the isolated Belarus leader at Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi as the two leaders looked to "compare notes over the most pressing issues.

Lukashenko told Putin that the West was attempting to "rock the boat" after the EU lashed out at the Belarus regime over the forced diversion of a plane and the arrest of a dissident journalist Roman Protasevich.

"An attempt is underway to rock the boat to reach the level of last August," Lukashenko told Putin.

As talks progressed in Sochi, the Belarus opposition said it will hold a nationwide strike even as several nations imposed air restrictions on the country.

US and EU had already imposed sanctions on Belarus over the violent crackdown on protesters by Lukashenko after a disputed election last year.

Opposition forces led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya who is currently living in exile said that "protests will continue and workers are being prepared for a nationwide strike."

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov that Belarus government's air travel row with Europe was "technical" in nature

"The aviation authorities work hard these days and the situation is extraordinary," the Kremlin said," adding,"But if they have arisen because of the European Union decisions and companies that have listened to Brussels' recommendations, then technical hiccups are inevitable. But we are working hard to eliminate them."

(With Agency inputs)

As Europe continued its crackdown on Belarus on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed close ties with the country during his talks with Lukashenko. Watch: Putin met the isolated Belarus leader at Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi as the two leaders looked to "compare notes over the most pressing issues.

As Europe continued its crackdown on Belarus on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed close ties with the country during his talks with Lukashenko. Watch: Putin met the isolated Belarus leader at Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi as the two leaders looked to "compare notes over the most pressing issues. Lukashenko told Putin that the West was attempting to "rock the boat" after the EU lashed out at the Belarus regime over the forced diversion of a plane and the arrest of a dissident journalist Roman Protasevich. "An attempt is underway to rock the boat to reach the level of last August," Lukashenko told Putin. As talks progressed in Sochi, the Belarus opposition said it will hold a nationwide strike even as several nations imposed air restrictions on the country. US and EU had already imposed sanctions on Belarus over the violent crackdown on protesters by Lukashenko after a disputed election last year. Opposition forces led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya who is currently living in exile said that "protests will continue and workers are being prepared for a nationwide strike." Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov that Belarus government's air travel row with Europe was "technical" in nature "The aviation authorities work hard these days and the situation is extraordinary," the Kremlin said," adding,"But if they have arisen because of the European Union decisions and companies that have listened to Brussels' recommendations, then technical hiccups are inevitable. But we are working hard to eliminate them." (With Agency inputs)

Attempt underway to rock the boat, Lukashenko tells Putin at Sochi meet

Turkey pushed NATO allies into watering down an official reaction to the forced landing by Belarus of a passenger plane and the detention of a dissident journalist on Sunday, two diplomats familiar with the matter told Reuters.

NATO's 30 allies released a two-paragraph statement on Wednesday condemning the forcing down of a Ryanair flight to arrest journalist Roman Protasevich but did not include any punitive steps that Baltic allies and Poland had pressed for.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/no-indication-kgb-agents-were-on-flight-diverted-to-belarus-greece-387862">'No indication' KGB agents were on flight diverted to Belarus: Greece</a>

The statement was also less strident than NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's public remarks. He called the incident a "state hijacking" and "outrageous".

Ankara insisted that any mention of support for more Western sanctions on Belarus, and calls for the release of political prisoners there, would be left out of the text, the two diplomats said. Language threatening a suspension of NATO's cooperation with Belarus was also removed, they added.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/belarus-opposition-leader-accuses-lukashenko-of-turning-country-into-north-korea-of-europe-387485">Belarus opposition leader accuses Lukashenko of turning country into 'North Korea of Europe'</a>

Turkey's motives were not immediately clear.

Diplomats said Ankara might be trying to preserve ties with Moscow, Belarus' closest ally, and maintain economic relations with Belarus via Turkish Airlines, which has daily flights to Minsk. Another possibility could be Turkey's keenness to welcome Russian tourists this summer after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/airlines-re-route-to-avoid-belarus-opposition-says-journalist-beaten-387395">Airlines re-route to avoid Belarus, opposition says journalist beaten</a>&nbsp;

A spike in coronavirus infections last month and a flurry of foreign travel warnings have wiped out many early bookings and raised prospects of another lost tourist season for Turkey, which relies on the cash inflow to fund its heavy foreign debt.

The Turkish foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kremlin-dismisses-notion-of-alleged-russian-involvement-in-belarus-plane-incident-387266">Kremlin dismisses notion of alleged Russian involvement in Belarus plane incident</a>

A NATO official said: "The statement by the North Atlantic Council on Belarus was agreed by all 30 Allies by consensus. We do not go into the details of discussions in the North Atlantic Council, which are confidential."

One of the diplomats said Stoltenberg had won the agreement of all allies, including Turkey, for the final text, published on NATO's website, to avoid further public divisions.

Upset

Turkey's insistence on a watered-down text upset a number of allies, particularly Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, which had pushed for tougher wording, the diplomats said.

A third diplomat said Ankara's pushback was mainly aimed at using a different wording to that of the European Union, which detailed proposals for sanctions. These included a ban on the overflight of EU airspace by Belarusian airlines, preventing Belarusian airlines from using EU airports and calling on EU airlines to avoid Belarus.

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Turkey is not an EU member, though it has been a candidate for many years.

"Many allies were very frustrated with Turkey. It was important for NATO to respond and it is not clear why Ankara should want to defend (Belarusian President Alexander) Lukashenko," said a European diplomat present at the discussion.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/belarus-plane-crisis-tightens-lukashenkos-awkward-embrace-of-putin-387605">Belarus plane crisis tightens Lukashenko’s awkward embrace of Putin</a>

Turkey has become a more difficult partner in recent years for some NATO allies, clashing with France over Turkish policy in Libya, with the United States on Syria and with Greece over energy rights in the Mediterranean.

Turkey has also bought air defence missiles from Russia, which NATO says is an adversary trying to destabilise the West.

The United States and European Union have criticised what they see as a slide towards more authoritarian rule under President Tayyip Erdogan, especially since a failed 2016 coup.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lukashenko-defiant-as-un-security-council-to-meet-over-belarus-387455">Lukashenko defiant as UN Security Council to meet over Belarus</a>

But Turkey, which has the second largest military in NATO and is in a strategic location between Europe and the Middle East and with coasts on the Black and Mediterranean Seas, is too big and important for the EU or the United States to ignore.

Ankara has said repeatedly it supports NATO but that it has the right to pursue its own sovereign foreign policy.

Turkey pushed NATO allies into watering down an official reaction to the forced landing by Belarus of a passenger plane and the detention of a dissident journalist on Sunday, two diplomats familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Turkey pushed NATO allies into watering down an official reaction to the forced landing by Belarus of a passenger plane and the detention of a dissident journalist on Sunday, two diplomats familiar with the matter told Reuters. NATO's 30 allies released a two-paragraph statement on Wednesday condemning the forcing down of a Ryanair flight to arrest journalist Roman Protasevich but did not include any punitive steps that Baltic allies and Poland had pressed for. Also Read | 'No indication' KGB agents were on flight diverted to Belarus: Greece The statement was also less strident than NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's public remarks. He called the incident a "state hijacking" and "outrageous". Ankara insisted that any mention of support for more Western sanctions on Belarus, and calls for the release of political prisoners there, would be left out of the text, the two diplomats said. Language threatening a suspension of NATO's cooperation with Belarus was also removed, they added. Also Read | Belarus opposition leader accuses Lukashenko of turning country into 'North Korea of Europe' Turkey's motives were not immediately clear. Diplomats said Ankara might be trying to preserve ties with Moscow, Belarus' closest ally, and maintain economic relations with Belarus via Turkish Airlines, which has daily flights to Minsk. Another possibility could be Turkey's keenness to welcome Russian tourists this summer after the COVID-19 pandemic. Also Read | Airlines re-route to avoid Belarus, opposition says journalist beaten A spike in coronavirus infections last month and a flurry of foreign travel warnings have wiped out many early bookings and raised prospects of another lost tourist season for Turkey, which relies on the cash inflow to fund its heavy foreign debt. The Turkish foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Also Read | Kremlin dismisses notion of alleged Russian involvement in Belarus plane incident A NATO official said: "The statement by the North Atlantic Council on Belarus was agreed by all 30 Allies by consensus. We do not go into the details of discussions in the North Atlantic Council, which are confidential." One of the diplomats said Stoltenberg had won the agreement of all allies, including Turkey, for the final text, published on NATO's website, to avoid further public divisions. Upset Turkey's insistence on a watered-down text upset a number of allies, particularly Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, which had pushed for tougher wording, the diplomats said. A third diplomat said Ankara's pushback was mainly aimed at using a different wording to that of the European Union, which detailed proposals for sanctions. These included a ban on the overflight of EU airspace by Belarusian airlines, preventing Belarusian airlines from using EU airports and calling on EU airlines to avoid Belarus. Turkey is not an EU member, though it has been a candidate for many years. "Many allies were very frustrated with Turkey. It was important for NATO to respond and it is not clear why Ankara should want to defend (Belarusian President Alexander) Lukashenko," said a European diplomat present at the discussion. Also Read | Belarus plane crisis tightens Lukashenko’s awkward embrace of Putin Turkey has become a more difficult partner in recent years for some NATO allies, clashing with France over Turkish policy in Libya, with the United States on Syria and with Greece over energy rights in the Mediterranean. Turkey has also bought air defence missiles from Russia, which NATO says is an adversary trying to destabilise the West. The United States and European Union have criticised what they see as a slide towards more authoritarian rule under President Tayyip Erdogan, especially since a failed 2016 coup. Also Read | Lukashenko defiant as UN Security Council to meet over Belarus But Turkey, which has the second largest military in NATO and is in a strategic location between Europe and the Middle East and with coasts on the Black and Mediterranean Seas, is too big and important for the EU or the United States to ignore. Ankara has said repeatedly it supports NATO but that it has the right to pursue its own sovereign foreign policy.

Turkey pushed NATO allies into softening outrage over Belarus plane, diplomats say

The Group of Seven (G7) wealthy economies condemned Belarus on Thursday for forcing a passenger plane to land so the authorities could arrest a journalist on board.

"This action jeopardised the safety of the passengers and crew of the flight. It was also a serious attack on the rules governing civil aviation," said the statement, issued by Britain's foreign office on behalf of foreign ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and Britain.

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"We will enhance our efforts, including through further sanctions as appropriate, to promote accountability for the actions of the Belarusian authorities."

"We demand the immediate and unconditional release" of Roman Protasevich, "as well as all other journalists and political prisoners held in&nbsp;Belarus," the ministers said in a joint statement published by the British government.

International disapproval of&nbsp;Belarus&nbsp;and its president, Alexander Lukashenko, has increased since the regime diverted a Ryanair jet on Sunday to arrest Protasevich, an opposition journalist, and his companion, Sofia Sopega, who were both on board.

The G7 ministers accused Lukashenko of jeopardising the safety of the passengers and crew on the flight.&nbsp;

"We call on the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to urgently address this challenge to its rules and standards," said the statement.

"This action also represents a serious attack on media freedom," it added.&nbsp;

"We will enhance our efforts, including through further sanctions as appropriate, to promote accountability for the actions of the Belarusian authorities."

Dominic Raab, foreign minister for Britain, which currently holds the G7 presidency, wrote on Twitter that "we will use all the tools at our disposal to hold the Lukashenko regime to account".

(With inputs from agencies)

The Group of Seven (G7) wealthy economies condemned Belarus on Thursday for forcing a passenger plane to land so the authorities could arrest a journalist on board.

The Group of Seven (G7) wealthy economies condemned Belarus on Thursday for forcing a passenger plane to land so the authorities could arrest a journalist on board. "This action jeopardised the safety of the passengers and crew of the flight. It was also a serious attack on the rules governing civil aviation," said the statement, issued by Britain's foreign office on behalf of foreign ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and Britain. "We will enhance our efforts, including through further sanctions as appropriate, to promote accountability for the actions of the Belarusian authorities." "We demand the immediate and unconditional release" of Roman Protasevich, "as well as all other journalists and political prisoners held in Belarus," the ministers said in a joint statement published by the British government. International disapproval of Belarus and its president, Alexander Lukashenko, has increased since the regime diverted a Ryanair jet on Sunday to arrest Protasevich, an opposition journalist, and his companion, Sofia Sopega, who were both on board. The G7 ministers accused Lukashenko of jeopardising the safety of the passengers and crew on the flight. "We call on the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to urgently address this challenge to its rules and standards," said the statement. "This action also represents a serious attack on media freedom," it added. "We will enhance our efforts, including through further sanctions as appropriate, to promote accountability for the actions of the Belarusian authorities." Dominic Raab, foreign minister for Britain, which currently holds the G7 presidency, wrote on Twitter that "we will use all the tools at our disposal to hold the Lukashenko regime to account". (With inputs from agencies)

G7 calls for 'immediate and unconditional' release of Belarus journalist

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has accused President Alexander Lukashenko of turning the country&nbsp;into "North Korea of Europe".

Speaking to the European Parliament via video link on Wednesday, Tikhanovskaya called for a series of concrete measures, including a ban on new foreign investments and on Belarus's main exports like oil and metal products, potash fertilisers and wood.

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She also said that&nbsp;the opposition was preparing to stage a new phase of active anti-government protests in&nbsp;Belarus.

The European Union said it was eyeing fresh sanctions on Lukashenko's regime after the plane incident.

European leaders have also demanded the release of Roman Protasevich, the opposition activist who was on board the plane and arrested by Belarus authorities in Minsk.

The 26-year-old activist co-ran the Nexta Telegram channels, prominent voices of the opposition that helped mobilise and coordinate protesters.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;Lukashenko has accused the West of trying to use the diversion of a Ryanair plane at the weekend to wage hybrid war against him and said it had falsely portrayed his handling of the incident.

In his first comments after what some European politicians described as a "state-sponsored hijacking" on Sunday, Lukashenko said he had acted legally and in accordance with all international norms, but that 'ill-wishers' were trying to use the plane episode to try to undermine his rule.

"As we predicted our ill-wishers from outside the country and from inside the country changed their methods of attack on the state," Lukashenko told parliament.

"They (the ill-wishers) have crossed many red lines and have abandoned common sense and human morals."

Airlines re-routed flights to avoid&nbsp;Belarus's airspace on Tuesday and&nbsp;Belarusian planes faced a possible ban from Europe, as international outrage mounted over Minsk forcing down a jetliner and arresting a dissident journalist on board.

Belarusian air control advised the Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius to divert to Minsk, according to a transcript, due to what turned out to be a hoax bomb threat.&nbsp;Belarus&nbsp;also scrambled a MiG-29 fighter jet to escort the passenger plane.

Belarusian authorities then swiftly detained Roman Protasevich, a dissident journalist who had been travelling on board the plane, along with his girlfriend. Both face criminal charges.

Lukashenko, according to Russia's TASS news agency, said Protasevich had planned a "bloody rebellion" in&nbsp;Belarus.

The Western response to the plane diversion was part of a "hybrid war" against his country and he would respond harshly to any sanctions or provocations, the Belta news agency reported him as telling parliament.

Mass protests erupted against President Alexander Lukashenko last summer after he declared victory in a presidential election that his opponents said was rigged, but they lost momentum amid a sweeping crackdown by the authorities.

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has accused President Alexander Lukashenko of turning the country into "North Korea of Europe". Speaking to the European Parliament via video link on Wednesday, Tikhanovskaya called for a series of concrete measures, including a ban on new foreign investments and on Belarus's main exports like oil and metal products, potash fertilisers and wood.

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has accused President Alexander Lukashenko of turning the country into "North Korea of Europe". Speaking to the European Parliament via video link on Wednesday, Tikhanovskaya called for a series of concrete measures, including a ban on new foreign investments and on Belarus's main exports like oil and metal products, potash fertilisers and wood. She also said that the opposition was preparing to stage a new phase of active anti-government protests in Belarus. The European Union said it was eyeing fresh sanctions on Lukashenko's regime after the plane incident. European leaders have also demanded the release of Roman Protasevich, the opposition activist who was on board the plane and arrested by Belarus authorities in Minsk. The 26-year-old activist co-ran the Nexta Telegram channels, prominent voices of the opposition that helped mobilise and coordinate protesters. Meanwhile, Lukashenko has accused the West of trying to use the diversion of a Ryanair plane at the weekend to wage hybrid war against him and said it had falsely portrayed his handling of the incident. In his first comments after what some European politicians described as a "state-sponsored hijacking" on Sunday, Lukashenko said he had acted legally and in accordance with all international norms, but that 'ill-wishers' were trying to use the plane episode to try to undermine his rule. "As we predicted our ill-wishers from outside the country and from inside the country changed their methods of attack on the state," Lukashenko told parliament. "They (the ill-wishers) have crossed many red lines and have abandoned common sense and human morals." Airlines re-routed flights to avoid Belarus's airspace on Tuesday and Belarusian planes faced a possible ban from Europe, as international outrage mounted over Minsk forcing down a jetliner and arresting a dissident journalist on board. Belarusian air control advised the Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius to divert to Minsk, according to a transcript, due to what turned out to be a hoax bomb threat. Belarus also scrambled a MiG-29 fighter jet to escort the passenger plane. Belarusian authorities then swiftly detained Roman Protasevich, a dissident journalist who had been travelling on board the plane, along with his girlfriend. Both face criminal charges. Lukashenko, according to Russia's TASS news agency, said Protasevich had planned a "bloody rebellion" in Belarus. The Western response to the plane diversion was part of a "hybrid war" against his country and he would respond harshly to any sanctions or provocations, the Belta news agency reported him as telling parliament. Mass protests erupted against President Alexander Lukashenko last summer after he declared victory in a presidential election that his opponents said was rigged, but they lost momentum amid a sweeping crackdown by the authorities.

Belarus opposition leader accuses Lukashenko of turning country into 'North Korea of Europe'

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