Minsk threatens to stop gas transport to Europe
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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is hinting his country may cut off the supply of gas to Europe.
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Lukashenko at a migrant center in Belarus (AFP)
President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, threatened his country would cut off supply and transport of gas to Europe if that was the only response left to Western sanctions.
In an interview with the Turkish publication TRT, Lukashenko warned he would resort to this option if sanctions imposed on Belarus force the country to live in a state of emergency.
In another context, Lukashenko announced that the authorities in the nation had persuaded several thousand refugees from the Middle East and Africa to return to their home countries.
Earlier, Lukashenko warned Poland against carrying out its threats to close its border with his country, warning that he is more than willing to stop the transit of Russian gas through Belarus to Europe in response.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said war could not be ruled out in light of the tension between his country and Belarus over the migrant crisis.
Upon being asked by German newspaper BILD about the risk of war looming in light of a potential intervention of NATO allies, Morawiecki said, "We cannot rule out anything."
In response, Polish President Andrzej Duda had previously discussed with NATO Chief Jans Stoltenberg the refugee crisis on his country's borders, asking NATO to bolster its defense in Eastern Europe.
The West has been accusing Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of luring migrants to his country and allowing them to cross into Poland in retaliation for western sanctions the EU imposed on his country.
In this context, the new German Foreign Minister said earlier today the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia will not be allowed to operate in the event of any new "escalation" in Ukraine, under an agreement between Berlin and Washington.
It is worth noting that Russia exports natural gas to Europe through multiple paths, including Belarus through the Yamal-Europe pipeline, which passes through Russia, Belarus, Poland, and Germany.
