President Joe Biden's Interest Relief Act (IRA) has set the cat amongst the pigeons in Europe <a target="_blank">(Photo: ec.europa.eu)</a>
President Joe Biden’s Interest Relief Act (IRA) has set the cat amongst the pigeons in Europe (Photo: ec.europa.eu)

EU and the World

EU diplomacy tries to avert Belarus-Poland clash

By Andrew Rettman,

The EU has gone into high-gear diplomacy to stop the Belarus migration crisis from turning into a military one, amid reports a 14-year old boy has died.

“We will defend our democracies”, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said while meeting US president Joe Biden in Washington on Wednesday (10 November).

New sanctions on Belarus officials and firms involved in trafficking migrants to the EU border were going forward next week, she added.

France called for snap talks at the UN Security Council in New York.

German chancellor Angela Merkel phoned Russian president Vladimir Putin to ask him to defuse the situation.

And EU Council president Charles Michel flew to Warsaw to show solidarity.

The EU moves came after Belarus pushed thousands of migrants to the Polish border on Monday, creating a humanitarian and security emergency.

To read this story, log in or subscribe

Enjoy access to all articles and 25 years of archives, comment and gift articles. Become a member for as low as €1,75 per week.

Become a member
President Joe Biden’s Interest Relief Act (IRA) has set the cat amongst the pigeons in Europe (Photo: ec.europa.eu)

Topics

    Author Bio

    Andrew Rettman Andrew Rettman is EUobserver’s foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.

    Related articles