Poland says Wagner troops in Belarus 'threat' to countries of the region

Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Wednesday (June 28) during a visit to Ukraine that the presence of Wagner troops in Belarus could be a potential "threat" to the countries of the region.

Duda told reporters in Kyiv, "It is difficult for us to exclude today that the presence of the Wagner Group in Belarus could pose a potential threat to Poland, which shares a border with Belarus, a threat to Lithuania... as well as potentially to Latvia."

On Tuesday, a jet belonging to Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin flew out of Rostov and landed near Minsk, which was later confirmed by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. The Belarusian leader was quoted as saying by the state media Belta that Prigozin was currently in Belarus.

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He said that "security guarantees have been given" as promised to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "I see Prigozhin's been flying aboard this plane - yes, indeed he’s in Belarus today," he further added.

Lukashenko mentioned that Belarus is not building any camps for the group, but will accommodate them if they want. However, their presence itself has become a matter of concern for the Polish President.

Poland and Lithuania presidents in Kyiv

The presidents of Poland and Lithuania made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Wednesday and met their Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

Duda said in a joint news conference that Poland and Lithuania will do everything they can to ensure that Ukraine becomes a member of NATO as soon as possible.

Notably, NATO members unanimously said that Ukraine must get all support during the war against Russia. They are affirmative about Ukraine's inclusion in NATO but have yet to resolve differences over how to address Kyiv's desire for membership.

Lithuania and Poland have been among the staunchest supporters of Ukraine in NATO and the EU, and have been calling for accepting it into both. Meanwhile, Lithuania is buying NASAMS air defence systems for Ukraine from a Norwegian company.

Watch:Deadly Russian missile strike hits pizza restaurant in Ukraine

Poland gets first batch of Abrams

On Wednesday, Poland also received the first shipment of US-made advanced Abrams tanks. The defence minister said that it is a boost to the nation's military capabilities amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

Poland's Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak told reporters, "The first tanks are already on Polish soil, it's an important day for the Polish army. This year we will have more tanks and they will form a battalion of Abrams tanks," Blaszczak said, hailing the US-made Abrams as "the best tanks in the world."

The authorities in Warsaw ordered a total of 366 Abrams tanks from the United States, with the first batch comprising 14 tanks which arrived at the port city of Szczecin. The shipment is part of a deal worth $1.4 billion for 116 M1A1 Abrams tanks that were previously used by the US Marine Corps.

(With inputs from agencies)

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