Polish President Calls for National Defense Council Meeting Over Border Concerns

Poland plans to convene the Council of National Defense due to the tense situation on the border with Belarus.

President Andrzej Duda stated this during his visit to Normandy.

Duda is concerned about the recent attacks on Polish soldiers in the areas adjacent to the Belarusian border.

On May 28, 2024, Polish border guards and a soldier were injured in different parts of the Polish border with Belarus.

Amidst these developments, the Polish President has opted to convene a meeting of the Council of National Defense.

“I don’t want to do this now, during the campaign, because there are a lot of emotions and the situation is really very heated, but on Monday we will be after the [European Parliament] elections, and I would like the Council of National Defense to be convened in the afternoon, most likely at 4 p.m.,” he said.

Duda also commented on the detention by the military police of three soldiers who had opened warning fire at refugees trying to cross the border near the Polish-Belarusian border in Dubicze Cerkiewne.

This incident occurred in late March and early April, 2024.

Polish border guards started shooting into the ground because a group of migrants on the Belarusian border was trying to cross the border into their country and did not respond to warning shots.

As a result, no one was injured in the incident.

The actions of the military were then investigated by the Polish military police, and three people were detained.

According to the Polish President, the detention of soldiers by his country’s military police is “outrageous and requires explanation.”