Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Monday that his country was working on repatriating the migrants, mostly from the Middle East, stuck at Belarus's border with EU member Poland.  

"Active work is underway in this area, to convince people - please, return home. But nobody wants to go back," state news agency Belta quoted Lukashenko as saying.

The European Union has already imposed sanctions on the Belarus authorities to tackle Lukashenko's "perfidious" treatment of migrants, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

"We are also trying to help the countries of origin," she told a conference in Munich. "Russian President Vladimir Putin has influence over Lukashenko and he needs to use this influence."