(AFP) Belarus’s strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko told migrants on the border with Poland Friday that he would not try to stop them from reaching the European Union, urging Germany to take them in.
In footage released by state media, Lukashenko was shown visiting a centre near the Polish border hosting hundreds of migrants — mainly Kurds from Iraq — who travelled to Belarus in the hopes of reaching Europe.
Western governments accuse Lukashenko of luring the migrants to his country to spark a border crisis with the EU in revenge for sanctions, which he denies.
Lukashenko was shown walking among and talking to the migrants in the centre, then addressing them outside from a podium in a campaign-style speech.
