BRUSSELS, November 24. /TASS/. European Council President Charles Michel discussed the migrant crisis in Belarus and the situation in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Michel said in his Twitter Wednesday.
"Discussed with President [Putin] migration crisis in Belarus. The EU is following closely the military buildup along Russia’s border with Ukraine. De-escalation and stability are essential," Michel said.
In turn, the Kremlin said that Putin drew attention to the fact of use of water cannons, flashbangs and tear gas against the migrants by the Polish law enforcement.
"[Vladimir Putin] drew attention to the facts of use of water cannons, tear gas, flashbangs and other special means. He expressed his hope that Charles Michel will work with Warsaw in order to prevent violence against migrants and to make it refuse actions that may lead to an escalation of the situation," the statement says.
The crisis at the border between Belarus and Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, where migrants have been converging to since the beginning of this year, escalated sharply on November 8. Several thousand people approached the Polish border from the Belarusian side; some of them attempted to break into the Polish territory, breaking barbed wire barriers.
EU countries accused Minsk of deliberate escalation of the crisis and call for imposition of sanctions. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claims that the responsibility lies with the West itself, whose actions force people to flee from war.