Russia says “Britain is to blame” for the migrant crisis at the Polish-Belarus border

[ad_1]

s

The United States has claimed that “Britain is to blame” for the migrant crisis at the Polish border after Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called on President Vladimir Putin to intervene.

The Kremlin said the UK bore “historic responsibility” for the plight of Iraqi refugees who had been massing at the border and trying to cross into Europe.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Ms Truss accused Belarus President Lukashenko of using “desperate migrants as pawns” in a “carefully designed crisis”. The European Union has alleged that Lukashenko is deliberately pushing migrants across the border in response to economic sanctions imposed on his regime.

In response to Truss on Sunday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denied that Putin bears any responsibility for the crisis despite his continued support for Belarus.

“The British invasion of Iraq was carefully crafted,” said Ms. Zakharova.

Read more

Britain bears clear historical responsibility for everything that has happened in the region since the killing of Iraqis, the destruction of the Iraqi state, the endless flow of refugees, the emergence of ISIS, and the humanitarian disasters in this part of the world.

“Until London is held accountable for its crimes, its representatives have no right to point the finger at anyone.”

Polish soldiers and police monitor migrants at the Polish/Belarusian border near Koznica

/ via Reuters

Russia is a key ally of Belarus, which the European Union has accused of launching a “hybrid attack” by moving thousands of migrants, mostly from the Middle East, and pushing them to try to cross illegally into Poland.

Later on Sunday, Putin echoed Zakharova’s comments in an interview with Russian state television.

“Don’t forget where the migrant crisis came from,” he said. “Was it Belarus that led these problems or what? No, these are causes created by Western countries, including European ones.”

Elsewhere, Putin accused Polish forces on the border with Belarus of beating migrants, firing gunshots over their heads, and lighting sirens at night nearby.

“This does not fit well with the humanitarian ideas that are supposed to underpin all the policies of our Western neighbors,” he added.

Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister of Poland, called on NATO to intervene.

“It is not enough to publicly express our concern – we now need concrete steps and the commitment of the entire coalition,” he told the state-run Polish news agency.

As the crisis spreads, EU officials raised the alarm about Russian troop movements near the Ukrainian border and a possible attack. Moscow complained of increased NATO activity in the region.

.

[ad_2]