{"id":162524,"date":"2025-10-31T19:29:24","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T16:29:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/162524\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"lukasenka-accuses-poland-of-violating-a-deal-on-poczobuts-release","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/162524\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0141uka\u0161enka accuses Poland of violating a deal on Poczobut’s release"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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October 31, Pozirk. <\/em><\/strong>Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka has accused Warsaw of breaking agreements involving the reopening of border crossings on the Belarusian-Polish border and the release of jailed journalist Andrzej Poczobut after Warsaw postponed the reopening by several weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poczobut, also known as a Polish minority activist, was sentenced in Belarus to eight years in prison in a case widely regarded as politically motivated. Warsaw closed the Bobrowniki checkpoint in February 2023, making its reopening conditional on his release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had contacts with the Poles. They are asking for these Poczobuts and admit they are spies,\u201d the Belarusian ruler\u2019s press office quoted him as saying. \u201cOkay, we\u2019ll do the exchange. You want Poczobut \u2014 we are ready to go along with that. [Poles respond:] \u2018Oh, thank you, and so on. We are ready to talk to you, we are opening the checkpoints.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Warsaw later changed its position, \u0141uka\u0161enka claimed. \u201cLate last night, the KGB [Committee for State Security] reported to me that they [Poles] had backed out in solidarity with Lithuania over the balloons. I told them to send my regards. They withdrew \u2014 well, we\u2019ll withdraw too. We\u2019re putting the matter on hold. When they\u2019re ready, they can come and we will talk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka added that he is \u201copen to dialogue,\u201d noting that European and American politicians may perceive this position as a weakness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced plans to reopen two additional border crossings on October 28 in a surprise move weeks after Poland shut its border completely, accusing Belarus of being a source of hybrid threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The re-opening of the two border crossings, most likely Bobrowniki and Ku\u017anica, was originally scheduled for early November in a \u201ctrial\u201d mode. \u201cIf it turns out for any reason that the border needs to be closed, I will not hesitate for a moment,\u201d Tusk added, linking such a reaction to potential security concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yesterday, Poland postponed the opening of two border crossings with Belarus by several weeks in solidarity with Lithuania, which closed its border to Belarus until November 30 over frequent incursions of cigarette-smuggling weather balloons from Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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