Russia calls on Poland to reconsider closing border with Belarus

MOSCOW - Russia calls on Poland to reconsider its decision to close the border with Belarus as soon as possible, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

Zakharova said Poland's actions aim "to justify the policy of further escalation of tensions in the center of Europe".

"Poland's unilateral actions will cause serious harm to its international partners who use the Polish-Belarusian border for trade exchange," she said.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday that the country will completely close its border with Belarus starting at midnight on Thursday in connection with the "very aggressive" Russia-Belarus military drills Zapad-2025.

Zakharova stressed that the drills are conducted on a regular basis with the proper level of public coverage and that representatives of all participating states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, including Poland, were invited to observe the drills.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned Poland's charge d'affaires and issued a verbal protest over the Polish decision.

The ministry said Poland's unilateral move is expected to affect the entire EU-Belarus border, disrupting the movement of people and goods.