Czechs hold off on sending troops to Poland-Belarus border

FILE PHOTO: Belarusian border guard officers patrol near Kuznica-Bruzgi checkpoint on the Polish-Belarusian border amid the migrant crisis, in Kuznica, Poland, December 6, 2021. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech Republic will hold off on sending up to 150 soldiers for now to help Poland protect its border with Belarus after the migrant situation stabilised, the Czech defence minister said on Monday.

The number of attempted crossings into Poland by migrants travelling via Belarus from the Middle East or Africa has fallen from highs seen in November. The European Union accused Minsk of engineering a crisis, but Belarus denies that.