EU's von der Leyen says flow of illegal migrants from Belarus 'politically motivated'

FILE PHOTO: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives for an EU summit at the Alfandega do Porto Congress Center in Porto, Portugal May 7, 2021. Francisco Seco/Pool via REUTERS

VILNIUS (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday pledged support for Lithuania, which is experiencing a quickly growing flow of migrants though its 679-kilometre border with Belarus.

The Lithuanian government declared a country-wide emergency on Friday as 150 migrants crossed the border illegally in the 24 hours ended Friday morning, more than had entered annually in any of the three preceding years.