MOSCOW, November 12. /TASS/. The statement by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko about the possibility of blocking gas transit to Europe was not harmonized with the Kremlin, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.
"No, it was not harmonized in any way," Peskov responded to the relevant question.
"In this case, yes, this is our ally [Belarus], but this is a sovereign state," Peskov stressed.
On Thursday, the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, threatened to cut off the transit of gas to Europe (via the transnational Yamal - Europe gas pipeline) if the EU slapped more sanctions against his country. He ordered the Foreign Ministry "to warn everyone in Europe" that if Brussels imposes anymore restrictions against Belarus, Minsk will definitely respond to it.
The migrant crisis on the border of Belarus with Latvia, Lithuania and Poland unraveled on November 8. Several thousand refugees approached the Polish border from the Belarusian side and wouldn’t leave the border zone. Some tried crossing into Poland by cutting razor wire fences. That said, the European Union is accusing Minsk of intentionally escalating the crisis and has called for more sanctions.