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Belarus: Gunshots heard at Polish border amidst migrant crisis
The chief executive of commodity trading giant Trafigura has warned Europe is at risk of power outages this winter due to insufficient gas reserves. It comes after Belarus threatened to cut off the EU’s gas supply if the European Commission extends punitive restrictions on the country over a migrant crisis.
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Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has been accused of undermining EU security by ordering Belarusian forces to bring groups of migrants to the Kuznica border crossing, with the false promise of easy entry into the EU.
Currently, thousands of families from Syria, Iraq, and Yemen are at the border with Poland, enduring freezing conditions in the hope of crossing into the EU.
Mr Lukashenko claimed the Armed Forces have been working hard to send the migrants home, but threatened that he would fly them to Germany via the state-run airline ‘Belavia’ if they refused.
He said: “Active work is underway in this area, to convince people – please, return home. But nobody wants to go back.”
He added that if Poland does not provide a “humanitarian corridor”, he “will send them to Munich by our own planes, if necessary”.
In response, the EU has placed a number of sanctions on Belarus.
The EU will end its leasing contract with airline ‘Belavia’ and sanction any travel agencies helping to fly migrants from the Middle East and elsewhere to Belarus’s capital Minsk.
Tensions are rising between the EU, Russia, and Belarus amid the migrant crisis (Image: Getty)
These punitive measures have sparked furious threats from Mr Lukashenko to cut off the EU’s gas supply from the Yamal-Europe line which runs from Russia through two main routes in Belarus.
Mr Lukashenko warned: “If they impose additional sanctions on us… we must respond”.
“We are heating Europe, and they are threatening us.
“What if we halt natural gas supplies?
“Therefore, I would recommend the leadership of Poland, Lithuanians and other empty-headed people to think before speaking.”
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Close ally of Mr Lukashenko, President Vladimir Putin, warned cutting off gas supplies to Europe would be a breach of contract with Russia.
In a TV interview, Mr Putin said President Lukashenko may have made the threat in a fit of temper.
Nonetheless, Mr Putin himself has been accused of using the Nord Stream 2 pipeline – which runs from Russia to Germany, bypassing Poland and Ukraine – as a “geopolitical weapon.”
After the completion of the pipeline, the Kremlin is said to have cut supplies through other pipelines in the hope of avoiding EU laws from being implemented.
Germany has today suspended the certification of the works in a move that will rile Russia.
The price of gas has, as a result, soared, as many fear Mr Putin could join his ally in turning off the taps.
READ MORE: Poland prepares for attack TONIGHT
The Polish police have sprayed water canons at migrants in freezing conditions, forcing them back in (Image: PA)
Temperatures have hit -2C at the border as migrants are left defenceless (Image: PA)
Last night Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke out on gas supply threats, addressing the governments of Germany, Austria, Italy, and France at London’s Mansion House.
He said: “We hope that our friends may recognise that a choice is shortly coming between mainlining ever more Russian hydrocarbons in giant new pipelines and sticking up for Ukraine and championing the cause of peace and stability, let me put it that way.”
His warning comes as Russia has placed over 100,000 soldiers at the border of Ukraine with reports that Mr Putin is looking to take back the territory.
Mr Johnson has urged European leaders to invest in non-Russian gas supplies after Belarusian threats, as the UK’s main gas importer is Norway, and the UK has little dependence on Russia.
It comes after recent estimates place the EU’s reliance on Russian gas at around 40 percent.
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Families were reportedly under the impression that they would gain easy access to the EU (Image: PA)
Thousands of migrants have gathered at the Belarus-Poland border, reportedly encouraged by Belarus (Image: PA)
According to the latest data, Germany imported almost 50 percent of its supplies from the Kremlin.
Elsewhere, Finland imported 94 percent from Russia, Bulgaria 77 percent and Italy 46 percent.
The three countries that have rung the alarm bells over the migrant crisis are no better.
Latvia relied on 93 percent from Russia, while Poland and Lithuania were around 40 percent.
The UK, meanwhile, imports around three percent via the Netherlands.
If EU gas supplies were cut off, the UK may be called on to divert a portion of its supplies from Norway to EU states like France and Germany.
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