Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński and Irish Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Minister Jim O’Callaghan visited the border crossing at Kuźnica in northeastern Poland to review conditions along the EU’s eastern frontier.
The visit came as Ireland prepares to take over the rotating presidency of the European Union on July 1. O’Callaghan said migration and border security would be among the priorities of Ireland’s six-month term.
Kierwiński said the Polish-Belarusian border had been subjected to what he described as a prolonged hybrid attack and called it a top security priority for the Polish government.
Standing near a steel border barrier erected along the frontier, he said Poland had invested heavily in border infrastructure and deployed significant numbers of border guards and soldiers to secure the area.
“I am very pleased that you were able to see both the physical infrastructure and archival footage showing how the entire European Union was tested and attacked by, in effect, the Belarusian and Russian security services,” Kierwiński told his Irish counterpart.
Although the situation now appears calm, he said authorities remain vigilant.
"Thanks to these investments and the efforts of our soldiers and officers, the situation on this section of the border is stable today, but we remain aware that it is highly dynamic," he said.
Kierwiński said there were no successful illegal crossings of the Polish-Belarusian border in the first quarter of 2026, but cautioned that migration pressure could increase in the coming months.
"We are prepared for that, but we will need the support and engagement of the entire European Union," he said.
He welcomed O’Callaghan’s commitment to making migration and the protection of the EU's external borders a priority during Ireland’s presidency.
O’Callaghan said the visit had given him a firsthand understanding of the challenges Poland faces and what he described as the weaponization of migration.
He said he had long been aware of efforts by Belarus and Russia to undermine confidence in security in Poland and across Europe by using migration as a political tool, but that seeing the situation in person and hearing directly from officers on the ground had been particularly valuable.
O’Callaghan also said investment in border security should be maintained and expanded, warning that the threat posed by Russia persisted despite the effectiveness of border controls.
Poland's Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński (right) and Irish Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Minister Jim O’Callaghan (left) speak to reporters during a visit to the Polish-Belarusian border on Wednesday. Photo: PAP/Artur Reszko
According to Poland’s Border Guard, authorities recorded 204 attempts to cross the border illegally from Belarus into Poland this year. All migrants who managed to enter Polish territory were subsequently detained.
During the same period last year, authorities recorded more than 10,000 attempted crossings.
"The number of people trying to cross our border illegally has clearly fallen," Border Guard spokeswoman Lt. Col. Katarzyna Zdanowicz told reporters.
The border is protected by a steel fence and an electronic surveillance system of cameras and sensors that support border guards and the military in monitoring the frontier.
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Source: IAR, PAP