The Polish embassy in Minsk urged its citizens to immediately leave Belarus amid rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine as Moscow wages a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. "In the event of a drastic deterioration in the security situation, border closures, or other unforeseen circumstances, evacuation may prove significantly more difficult or even impossible," the embassy said in a statement.
The statement released by the Polish embassy in the backdrop of rising tensions between NATO and the Russian military, following a series of airspace violations. The Russian authorities had also arrested Polish citizens earlier. For the past several days, Russian drones were seen violating Polish, Romanian and possibly airspace.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated that US tariffs on India for purchasing Russian oil are having a "big impact" on Moscow. He claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is asking Russian President Vladimir Putin to "explain his strategy" on Ukraine after Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods.
"This (tariff) immediately impacts Russia because that means Delhi is now on the phone with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and Narendra Modi is asking him, 'I support you, but could you explain me your strategy because I have now been hit by these 50% tariffs by the United States'," he told CNN on Friday on the sidelines of the UNGA session in New York. There was no immediate reaction from New Delhi or Moscow on Rutte's remarks.