Merkel asks Putin to intervene with Belarus over migrants

German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to intervene with Belarus over the migrant situation on that country's border with Poland, where groups of migrants made bold attempts this week to cross into European Union territory.

The chancellor's office said Merkel spoke with Putin by phone and underlined that the exploitation "of migrants against the European Union by the Belarusian regime is inhuman and completely unacceptable." Merkel asked the Russian president "to exert his influence on the regime in Minsk," her office said.

Russia is a close ally of the government in Belarus. Germany is a favored destination for migrants who manage to enter the EU.

The readout of the call released by the Kremlin said Putin proposed a discussion of the problems that have come up between EU member nations and Belarus. It also said that Putin and Merkel "agreed to continue the conversation on the issue."

Meanwhile, the European Union said for the first time that it was discussing possibly funding a wall on the EU's external borders. The EU's executive commission has never allowed EU money to be used to finance walls, fences or barriers but is facing pressure by several member countries to do so now.