Poland delays Belarus border reopenings in solidarity with Lithuania
Poland announced on Thursday that it will postpone the reopening of additional border crossings with Belarus until at least mid-November, aligning its stance with Lithuania amid rising security concerns along NATO’s eastern flank.
Warsaw shut much of its border with Belarus six weeks ago, citing “very aggressive” Russia-led military drills near its territory and the incursion of 21 Russian drones into Polish airspace. Lithuania followed suit this week, closing its land border with Belarus over airspace disruptions caused by smuggling balloons, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Although Poland recently reopened two crossings — one for passenger vehicles and one for cargo — Prime Minister Donald Tusk agreed to delay further openings after talks with Lithuania’s new Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene.
“We decided that the Polish prime minister will postpone the opening of the border,” Ruginiene said, stressing coordinated regional action.
Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the move demonstrates solidarity with Lithuania, while a government spokesperson later noted that mid-November remains a possible timeline for reopening, depending on security conditions.
Relations between Poland and Belarus have deteriorated sharply since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. On Thursday, Poland intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea — the second such incident this week.
Latvia signaled it could also close its final remaining border crossing with Belarus if necessary. “At the moment, we don’t see such a threat,” Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said, after consultations in Riga.
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