Belarus should not use people as weapons, says EU Chief Diplomat

On Sunday, Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, spoke by phone with Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei about the migrant crisis on the Polish border and European sanctions against Minsk.

On Twitter, Borrell stated that he had brought up “the precarious humanitarian situation at the EU border.”

He wrote, “People’s lives must be protected, and humanitarian agencies must be allowed access.” “The current situation is intolerable and must be changed immediately. “No one should be used as a weapon.”

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The EU and Belarus held talks the day before the EU plans to impose new sanctions on Minsk to include airlines and travel agencies thought to be involved in bringing migrants to the bloc’s border.

“Futility of sanctions was highlighted… by the Belarusian side,” the Belarusian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Thousands of migrants have travelled to Belarus in the hope of crossing into the European Union (EU), only to find themselves trapped on the border in freezing conditions.

Europe accuses Belarus of mounting “a hybrid attack” by flying in migrants and pushing them to cross illegally into Poland. Belarus has repeatedly denied the accusation.

Makei informed his counterpart about steps taken by Belarus to reduce the migrant flow and providing them with humanitarian aid on the border, the ministry said.