Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that Poland may close its border if Germany begins sending back asylum seekers intercepted during heightened border checks.
Responding to questions about whether Poland would accept migrants turned away by Germany, Tusk said he discussed the issue with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and made clear that Poland will not readmit migrants who cross into Germany from its western border.
“I am ready to close the border,” the Prime Minister said.
“I informed the German side that if they try to send migrants back to us, I will invoke Article 72 at the last moment, which allows for the temporary suspension of all treaty obligations on security grounds. So, they are aware of this,” added Donald Tusk.
Earlier in the day, Tusk also described the situation at Poland’s border with Belarus as tense, attributing it to an “artificially created migration crisis.” He called for permission to extend the temporary suspension of the right to asylum.
Meanwhile, the German police union warned that they “won’t be able to sustain” the intensified border control regime for much longer—a measure introduced by the new German government to curb illegal migration.
