The crisis with migrants on the border of Belarus and the EU was provoked by Minsk in order to divert attention from the actions of Russia near the border with Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a conversation with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau.

"The actions by the Lukashenka regime threaten security, sow division, and aim to distract from Russia's activities on the border with Ukraine," the U.S. State Department said following a conversation between Blinken and Rau.

Blinken expressed support for Poland, faced with a wave of illegal immigrants seeking to enter its territory through Belarus.

"Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Rau strongly condemned the instrumentalization of vulnerable migrants and called on Lukashenka to address the root causes of sanctions imposed by the West – the denial of human rights and fundamental freedoms for the Belarusian people," the U.S. Department of State said.

Blinken also thanked the interlocutor for supporting the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine.