Poland says monitoring situation at its border with Belarus

Poland is monitoring the situation at its border with Belarus, Deputy Defence Minister Wojciech Skurkiewicz said on Monday. NATO dismissed on Sunday allegations by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that it was conducting a military buildup near the country's western border but said it was closely monitoring the situation following his contested re-election. "We are looking at what is happening in Belarus, just like all NATO countries, and we will also look at what happens at our borders.

Poland is monitoring the situation at its border with Belarus, Deputy Defence Minister Wojciech Skurkiewicz said on Monday. NATO dismissed on Sunday allegations by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that it was conducting a military buildup near the country's western border but said it was closely monitoring the situation following his contested re-election.

"We are looking at what is happening in Belarus, just like all NATO countries, and we will also look at what happens at our borders. We will not be passive in this observation," Skurkiewicz told public radio. The Belarusian army plans to hold drills over Aug. 17-20 near the country's nuclear plant and in the Grodno region bordering Poland and Lithuania, the RIA news agency reported on Sunday, citing the defense ministry.

On Saturday Lukashenko said that an air assault brigade would move to Belarus' Western border.