EU accuses Belarus of ‘trafficking’ migrants towards Polish border

Migrants gather at the Belarus/Poland border near Grodno (Leonid Shcheglov/BelTA via AP)

European Union officials have accused Belarus of state-sponsored “trafficking” of human lives by luring desperate migrants to the Polish border – the edge of the EU – where many are now stuck in makeshift camps in freezing weather.

As the crisis showed no sign of easing, an EU leader also said the bloc was, for the first time, considering the idea of funding the construction of a wall or some other barrier on its eastern border. This idea has always been rejected before and still faces many political and humanitarian obstacles.