Polish official: Putin-Łukašenka meeting provocative

July 24, BPN. A Polish deputy foreign minister has said that the recent meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alaksandar Łukašenka was a provocative act aimed at stirring up emotions in Poland ahead of its parliamentary elections.

Paweł Jabłoński told PAP news agency that Minsk and Moscow seek to stir up political tension in his country, adding that Poland is strengthening its security.

Warsaw will respond, he said, but would not elaborate.

Łukašenka said yesterday that some of the Wagner militants based in Belarus were eager to “go on a trip” to Warsaw and Rzeszów, a city in southeastern Poland.

Poland is moving extra troops to its shared border with Belarus in response to the arrival of Wagner forces after a short-lived mutiny in Russia last month.

The Institute for the Study of War said that Łukašenka and Putin were using Wagner as a tool for information operations against the West.