EU leader ‘deplores’ Belarus behavior amid migrant standoff

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A top European Union official has condemned Belarus and expressed support for Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell spoke Friday hours after a state of emergency took effect in areas of eastern Poland following a surge in illegal migration. He said EU members “are ready to take all measures to support them if the situation continues deteriorating.” He also said that they deplored that Lukashenko’s regime has “cynically” used “migrants and refugees to artificially create pressure on our Eastern borders.” Poland declared the state of emergency after thousands of migrants from Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere tried to illegally cross into the country from Belarus in recent weeks.