Trump's envoy meets Lukashenko for new talks on Belarus prisoner releases
The talks seek freedom for more than 900 political prisoners as Washington weighs further sanctions relief, human rights group Viasna says.
- On Tuesday, U.S. presidential envoy John Coale met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk for their first talks in six months, centered on exchanging political prisoner releases for eased U.S. sanctions.
- Human rights campaigner Ales Bialiatski described the negotiations as a "pure trade" of hostages for sanctions, yet warned that the "machinery of repression" continues running within Belarus despite prisoner releases.
- Last week, Lukashenko demanded the return of $43 million he stated was "stuck at Citibank", suggesting he may be raising his price for future prisoner releases from the United States.
- Experts reported "systematic" human rights violations at every judicial stage in Belarus, where the former Soviet state continues holding more than 900 political prisoners despite the ongoing diplomatic negotiations.
- These talks offer Lukashenko a path to break years of international isolation after being shunned by the West for his repression of opponents and support for Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.
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Lukashenko urges US to lift Belarus sanctions after prisoner release deals
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko used talks with the US envoy to seek wider sanctions relief and access to blocked assets. The outreach follows prisoner release deals but comes amid renewed scrutiny of Belarus's continuing repression.
US President Donald Trump's envoy to Belarus, John Coale, arrived in Minsk on Tuesday, where he met with the country's dictator Alexander Lukashenko. Belarusian media reported this. According to the independent Zerkalo server, Prime Minister Alexander Turchin also attended the meeting. Lithuanian station LRT reported on Monday that Coale arrived in Vilnius, where he met with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys.
The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenka, at a meeting with the United States Special Envoy for Belarus, John Cole, in Minsk, described as inappropriate the claim that there are more people detained in the Republic on extremist articles than there are released. "Very many conversations before our meeting here about the release, as you call them, of political prisoners. (...) Our runaways are dispersing the West and you, I suspect, have con…
US Special Envoy John Coale talks to Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk about the release of political prisoners and possible further sanction reliefs.
The President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, held formal talks with the American delegation, headed by John Cole, Special Envoy of the President of the United States for RB.
US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Belarus, John Coale, has arrived in Minsk, the independent Belarusian news portal Zerkalo reported on Tuesday.
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