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Polish FM fears Russia preparing for something big, may draw Belarus in
September 25, Pozirk. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, speaking at a public meeting at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on September 24, expressed concern that Russia is preparing “for something big” this year and may draw Belarus into it.
Referring to his meeting with Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryžankoŭ earlier this week, he noted that Belarusians are deeply concerned that they may be dragged into a war, Poland’s PAP news agency reported.
He said his concern was based on information from multiple sources.
“We also believe that public opinion exists even in dictatorships, and I believe that [Vladimir] Putin needs an excuse for mobilization. That is why they can launch a false flag operation to tell the Russians: ‘We have been attacked, and therefore we must mobilize,’” Sikorski said.
He speculated that Russia might try to seize by force a corridor through Lithuania connecting Belarus with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
“We don’t know what they will do, but we must be ready to contain them,” he said.
Sikorski said Russia was unlikely to risk a full-scale attack on the EU. Instead, it might launch a less overt operation designed to make it more difficult for NATO to invoke Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty on collective defense.
Sikorski made the remarks two days after his first meeting with the Belarusian foreign minister.
Commenting on the prospects for normalizing bilateral relations, Sikorski compared them to “a snowdrop that can bloom under favorable conditions.”
He described the meeting as an initial step, noting that contacts were also taking place between other agencies and at other levels. He said Poland would soon open a new embassy building in Minsk and was ready to improve relations if Belarus showed a willingness to do so.
The sides also reportedly focused on regional security. Asked whether he had urged the Belarusian side not to allow Russia to launch drones and missiles from Belarusian territory, Sikorski replied, “among other things.”
The Polish diplomat said the meeting could mark a new phase in Polish-Belarusian relations, pointing to improvements along the shared border after about a decade without ministerial-level contacts. In particular, he highlighted the release of jailed Belarusian dissidents, including Polish minority activist Andrej Pačobut (Andrzej Poczobut).
Relations between Belarus and Poland deteriorated significantly following Pačobut’s imprisonment but have recently shown signs of warming. These include Pačobut’s recent trip to Belarus, Poland’s reopening of previously closed border crossings and a significant decline in irregular migration via Belarus.
Minsk has supported Moscow in its war against Ukraine.
Polish FM meets Ryžankoŭ on sidelines of UN high-level week in New York
September 23, Pozirk. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski met his Belarusian counterpart Maksim Ryžankoŭ in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Onet reports. Commenting on the prospects for normalizing bilateral relations, Sikorski compared them to “a …
