Poland, Baltics Tell Belarus to Expel Russian Mercenaries
- Four EU states agree on coordination plan to shut border
- Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia react to increased tension
Polish border guards patrol the border wall between Poland and Belarus in Jurowlany, Poland.
Photographer: Omar Marques/Getty Images
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Poland and the Baltic nations called on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to expel Russian mercenaries from his country and agreed on a plan to potentially shut the border in response to escalating tension.
In the event of an armed incident or an organized influx of migrants across the frontier, Poland and the Baltic states — Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia — will coordinate on shutting the border with Belarus, the four nations agreed in Warsaw on Monday. They warned of the threat posed by Wagner mercenaries even after the death this month of the group’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.