Tusk closes the border: escalation with Minsk

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Poland will close the border with Belarus at midnight on Thursday, September 11, 2025, due to joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises Zapad-2025 starting Friday, September 12, near the eastern Polish border. The closure will also affect railway crossings. This measure was taken for national security reasons, given the context of increasing tensions between Poland and Belarus regarding these military exercises considered strategically aggressive by Warsaw. The maneuvers will last until September 16 and involve about 13,000 soldiers. NATO will also conduct parallel exercises from its side of the border.

In short, Poland has decided to temporarily close all border crossing points with Belarus for the duration of the joint military exercises Zapad-2025 to protect its security in a context of growing regional tensions.