SOKOLKA, POLAND (REUTERS, AFP) - Hundreds of migrants shivered in freezing temperatures and huddled round campfires on the Belarusian border with Poland on Tuesday (Nov 9) in front of razor wire fences and lines of Polish border guards blocking their entry into the European Union.

The EU promised more sanctions on Belarus and accused President Alexander Lukashenko's government of using the migrants as political pawns and putting lives at risk, in what it branded "gangster-style" behaviour.

Polish authorities were braced for further clashes after some migrants used logs, spades and other implements on Monday to try to break down a border fence, escalating a months-long crisis in which at least seven migrants have died.

Poland and other EU member states accuse Belarus of encouraging illegal migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa to cross the border into the EU in revenge for sanctions already slapped on Minsk over human rights abuses.

"The Belarusian regime is attacking the Polish border, the EU, in an unparalleled manner," Polish President Andrzej Duda told a news conference in Warsaw.

"We currently have a camp of migrants who are blocked from the Belarusian side. There are about 1,000 people there, mostly young men. These are aggressive actions that we must repel, fulfilling our obligations as a member of the European Union."

Lukashenko's government, which is backed by Russia, denies engineering the migrant crisis and blames Europe and the United States for the plight of the people stranded at the border.

Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation by phone and expressed concern over the build-up of Polish troops at the border, the Belarusian state news agency Belta reported on Tuesday.

"To conduct a war with these unfortunate people on the border of Poland with Belarus and move forward columns of tanks - it's clear this is either a training exercise or it's blackmail," Lukashenko said in later televised comments.

"We will calmly stand up to this," he added.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested the EU provide Belarus with financial assistance to stop the migrant flows, referencing an earlier deal with Turkey.

The European Commission said Belarus was illegally offering migrants easy entrance into the EU via its territory.

"This is part of the inhuman and really gangster-style approach of the Lukashenko regime that he is lying to people, he is misusing people, misleading them, and bringing them to Belarus under the false promise of having easy entry into the EU," a Commission spokesperson said.

Around 2,000 migrants have gathered at the border and are trying to enter the EU, the Commission said, adding that the bloc was ready to assist Poland at short notice if asked.

Earlier, Germany urged the European Union to take action and help stem the flow of the migrants."Poland or Germany can't handle this alone," caretaker Interior Minister Horst Seehofer told the Bild daily, urging the EU to stand together

"We must help the Polish government secure their external border. This would actually be the task of the European Commission. I'm now appealing to them to take action," he said.

The plea came after Poland said it had repelled an attempt by hundreds of migrants to illegally cross from Belarus.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday called on member states to impose new sanctions against Belarus over the migrant flows.

The use "of migrants for political purposes is unacceptable", she said, adding that the EU would also look at how to sanction third-country airlines flying migrants to Belarus.

As Poland's neighbour, Germany has seen a steep rise in migrants entering from Belarus via Poland. In October alone, the number stood at nearly 5,000, according to German authorities.

Berlin has responded by stepping up border controls and deploying extra police officers.

Germany stands ready to offer police support to Poland, said Mr Stephan Mayer, Parliamentary State Secretary in Germany's Interior Ministry.

"Germany could very quickly send police forces to assist Poland, if Poland so wishes," Mr Mayer told the Bild newspaper.