Biden expresses ‘great concern’ over Belarus-Poland border crisis

President Joe Biden said on Friday that the ongoing migrant crisis at the Belarus-Polish border is a matter of “great concern.”

“We communicated our concern to Russia, we communicated our concern to Belarus,” Biden told reporters, according to Reuters. “We think it’s a problem.”

The comment comes as thousands of migrants, primarily from Iraq and Afghanistan, have traveled to Belarus’s border with Poland. The migrants now face freezing temperatures as Poland continues to refuse them entry.

The European Union (EU) has alleged that Belarus is encouraging migrants to cross into Poland and Lithuania via its country in response to sanctions imposed by Western countries. Polish officials have also levied accusations against Belarus, saying the country wants to “cause a major incident” on the border. 

However, Belarus has blamed the crisis on the European bloc, and Russia has said the same.

Vice President Harris has also expressed concern over the situation, saying during a news conference Friday that Belarus “is engaged in very troubling activity,” per Agence France Presse.

“It is something that I discussed with President Macron, and the eyes of the world and its leaders are watching what is happening there,” she added.

As of Saturday, eleven people have reportedly been found dead on both sides of the border since the crisis began, the most recent being a Syrian man whose cause of death is currently unknown.