Talha Yavuz
11 November 2021•Update: 12 November 2021
KYIV, Ukraine
The presidents of Ukraine and Lithuania discussed via telephone on Thursday the migration crisis as thousands wait at the Polish-Belarusian border.
The Ukrainian presidency said Volodymyr Zelensky and Gitanas Nauseda “discussed in detail the difficult situation that has arisen on the European-Belarusian border.”
Zelensky “informed his Lithuanian counterpart about the decisions of the National Security and Defense Council adopted the day before to enhance security measures on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border,” it said.
“We will adequately respond to the development of the situation on our border,” it said, citing Zelensky. “We are already increasing the capacity of the border service. We are ready to involve other reserves as well.”
Zelensky informed Nauseda about the development of the security situation in the east of Ukraine, it added.
The two leaders also discussed the coronavirus situation in Ukraine and Lithuania and agreed that “the Lithuanian and Ukrainian parties will coordinate measures to preserve the freedom of mutual travel of citizens and ensure their safety during the pandemic.”
Poland and the EU have accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of trying to retaliate against EU sanctions by deliberately inviting and forcing migrants toward the Polish border.
EU countries bordering Belarus -- Lithuania, Latvia and Poland -- have reported a dramatic spike in the number of irregular crossings since August.
NATO and the EU consider Belarus’ approach to migrants an effort to destabilize and undermine security in the bloc through non-military means.
According to the EU’s latest figures, 7,935 people tried to enter the bloc via the Belarus-EU border this year, up sharply from just 150 last year.
Polish authorities stepped up border protection Monday and mobilized more than 12,000 troops after a large group of migrants started marching toward the country’s frontier with Belarus accompanied by the Belarusian military.
