European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk held a joint briefing on the Polish-Belarusian border on August 31.
Tusk and von der Leyen reported this on the social network X.
The Polish Prime Minister stressed that the European Commission President had the opportunity to see firsthand the situation on the EUʼs eastern border. According to him, Belarusian border guards "listened attentively" to their conference.
Ursula von der Leyen said that she arrived at the Polish-Belarusian border to express Europeʼs full solidarity with Poland as a frontline country.
"For many years, you and the Polish people have been facing deliberate and cynical hybrid attacks. I want to emphasize that Europe supports you in every possible way," the President of the European Commission emphasized.
She noted that the EU budget proposal for the next seven years triples investments in migration, border management and protection.
In addition, according to von der Leyen, EU member states that border Russia and Belarus will receive additional EU funding.
"I want to emphasize: the borders of Europe are a shared responsibility. Here we are on the Polish border, but also on the European border, and this is a shared responsibility," she said.
What preceded
The crisis with illegal migrants from Belarus began after sanctions from the European Union and a number of Western countries in December 2021. Officials from Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia are confident that the flow of migrants was part of a hybrid war against the EU by the Belarusian and Russian authorities.
Polish intelligence services provided evidence that the assault on the border was led by General of the Belarusian Border Guard Service Podlinyov.
Against this backdrop, Poland has erected a five-meter-high electronic barrier on its border with Belarus, 5.5 meters high. It is equipped with thousands of cameras and other equipment to prevent illegal border crossings.
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