Belarus is already playing up to Poland's border closure. Carriers are facing problems.

• Belarusians report that 1,453 trucks registered in Poland are stuck in the territory of the republic.
• For these trucks, the deadline for temporary entry into the EU, established upon entry into Belarus, has expired. The Belarusian customs service has the right to hold the carriers accountable under applicable law, the Belarusian administration warned.
• - Alexander Lukashenko is not willing to conduct a dialogue with Poland and only such radical actions as closing the border can force the dictator to negotiate - said Ales Zarembiuk, president of the "Belarusian House".

According to Belarusian customs officials quoted by the Russian news agency Interfax, 1,453 Polish trucks were reportedly left in Belarus after Poland closed all border crossings . The statement further stated that vehicles registered in Poland are unable to use other border crossings with Lithuania or Latvia.

"The deadline for temporary entry into the EU for these trucks, established upon entry into Belarus, has expired. The Belarusian Customs Service has the right to hold the carriers accountable under applicable law. Polish companies have become hostages to the actions of their own government," reads a statement from the Belarusian Customs Agency, released by the Russian news agency Interfax.

The statement continues: "In the spirit of good neighborliness and in response to Polish entrepreneurs, the State Customs Committee has decided to extend the stay of Polish trucks in Belarus for another 10 days ." To extend the deadline, the carrier must contact the customs authority in whose region the vehicle is located.

The head of the Polish Ministry of Interior and Administration explained the border closure as follows:

"This movement will resume, but only when we are certain that the safety of Poles is guaranteed, that we are not at risk of any provocations or aggressive behavior. Of course, for economic reasons, we will do everything to keep this closure period as short as possible. However, the decision I signed, the decision to close border crossings, is a decision without specifying a period, a decision until further notice," said Marcin Kierwiński, Minister of Interior and Administration.

The government's actions regarding the sudden border closure were met with opposition from the transport industry.

"The entire company is drowning in Brest. I have five vehicles and all of them are on the Belarusian side. Unfortunately, we were carrying out orders the day before the border closed and on the day it closed. Mr. Kierwiński said we had two and a half days to react. And that we had time," Marcin Dylda of MD Trans told "Dziennik Wschodni."

"The minister has no idea what he's talking about. It's not like you just hop into Belarus and an hour later you're overloaded into Poland. When the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration announced this, there were suddenly 400 cars in the queue in Brest. That's a day and a half of waiting. How were they supposed to leave? Belarusians are throwing up their hands. They don't know anything. Currently, there are almost 800 cars registered to enter Poland, but the border is closed," Dylda concluded.

Must the border be closed? Belarusian dictator understands the language of force.

Ales Zarembiuk, president of the "Belarusian House", said in an interview with the CIS: "I am not in favor of closing the border with Poland, because it harms both the economy and interpersonal contacts between our nations," emphasized the representative of the Belarusian diaspora in Poland.

At the same time, Zarembiuk stressed that Alexander Lukashenko is unwilling to engage in dialogue with Poland , and only radical actions such as closing the border could force the dictator to negotiate. He emphasized that Lukashenko's regime has still not decided to release Andrzej Poczobut from prison, and prisoners continue to be brutally treated. Released political prisoners are deprived of the right to remain in their homeland. Therefore, this radical move by Poland could lead to concessions from the regime, which understands only the "language of force."

Regarding Poles who are trapped in Belarus, Zarembiuk emphasizes that the regime in Minsk will certainly want to use them as a bargaining chip in its relations with Poland. In turn, the Polish government will likely initiate appropriate diplomatic procedures to extricate these people from potential trouble.

Poland's trade with Belarus has not died down in recent years despite sanctions and political tensions.

It's worth noting that despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, in which the Belarusian regime is indirectly involved, and the sanctions imposed on Minsk, Poland has been increasing its share of exports in recent years, maintaining a large surplus in its trade balance with Belarus. Eurostat data shows that while in 2021 Poland exported goods and services worth €1.71 billion to the east and imported nearly €1.4 billion, by 2022 exports had risen to €1.82 billion , while imports from Belarus had fallen to €1 billion. In 2023, Poland's exports to Belarus rose to €2.73 billion, but imports amounted to only €438 million.