"You can see that these changes are irreversible […] There is no longer any legitimization of authorities which are in power only because they can physically rule," Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said, amid protests shaking Belarus since an August 9 presidential election which the opposition in that country says was rigged.
In an interview with Polish newspaper Gazeta Polska Codziennie, Rau added that Russia wants to keep Belarus in its sphere of influence, but also wants to improve its relations with the West.
"And this is a paradox. A very difficult situation for Putin. Recent events have even led to a discussion about the Nord Stream 2 project for the first time, even in Germany," Rau added.
In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Warsaw is trying to step up pressure on Germany to halt the contested gas pipeline project following the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Meanwhile, the Reuters news agency cited a spokesman for Angela Merkel as saying on Monday that the German Chancellor does not rule out imposing sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
(jh/pk)
Source: PAP, Bloomberg