British News Agency

Warsaw closed the Belarus border on Friday to better monitor the large-scale Russo-Belarusian “Zapad” exercise.

But the measure, announced as temporary, now looks open-ended; the government says it is “concerned about the safety of Polish citizens” and that “traffic will return to normal once the border is fully secure.”

The move came amid high diplomatic tensions — after Russia sent a swarm of drones last week to test Poland’s defenses and as U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up diplomatic pressure to punish China for aiding the Kremlin’s war effort in Ukraine. The Polish government said the “logic of trade” has been replaced by the “logic of security.”

Crucially, the shutdown affects a trade route that carries 90% of rail freight between China and the EU.

Along this route, China-EU cargo volume grew 10.6% in 2024, while the value of goods jumped about 85% to €25.07 billion. The corridor now accounts for 3.7% of all EU-China trade, up from 2.1% a year earlier, becoming a lifeline for e-commerce giants like Temu and Shein.

Polish firms could be hit too. State-controlled PKP Cargo said short delays can be handled but warned that a prolonged closure would reroute trade via Kazakhstan, the Caspian and the Black Sea to Southern Europe or Türkiye.

The closure came just a week after the company put into service the first Warsaw-China freight train carrying loads from many European countries. The symbolic trip aimed to cement Poland’s role as a hub and raise PKP Cargo’s international profile.

Artur Kalisiak, strategic projects director at the Transport and Logistics Poland industry association, said: “A complete border closure is a vital problem not only for transport and logistics but for the entire economy.” He added that about 10,000 Belarusian drivers employed by Polish transport companies are stranded, unable to return to their jobs in Poland or even to their country.