At least seven migrants have died in the freezing no-man's land at Belarus's border with the European Union. Minsk has been subject to sanctions over last year's post-electoral crackdown ordered by strongman Alexander Lukashenko. His regime is accused of encouraging charter flights from Iraq and Turkey and then sending them towards the border, with neighbouring Lithuania wondering how thousands have come their way, compared with 80 migrants for all of 2020.
The weaponising of migrants to pressure EU states is nothing new, as shown by Brussels' current compensation deals with Libya and Turkey. But ahead of Thursday's European Summit, the bloc has got two problems in one: how to stand up to a ruthless regime that, when push comes to shove, can fall back on the protection of its former Soviet masters in Moscow. On that score, we ask about the weekend expulsion of France's ambassador to Belarus.
Meanwhile Poland's hard-right nationalist government, which ever since 2015 has made political hay out of taking a tough line on foreigners – in particular Muslims – has imposed a media blackout on the border area and is now talking of a Donald Trump-style wall. With a broader rule of law showdown with Brussels coming to a head, what is the way forward now?
Produced by Charles Wente, Juliette Laurain and Imen Mellaz.
