Trump’s special envoy met with Lukashenko in Minsk: what they talked about

The US President’s Special Envoy for Belarus, John Cole, arrived in Minsk on September 15 and held talks with Alexander Lukashenko. This was their first meeting in six months. Among the key topics of contact between Washington and Minsk were the release of political prisoners and sanctions restrictions.

The meeting was reported by Belarusian state media. According to them, Cole led a delegation of representatives of US President Donald Trump’s team.

Prime Minister Alexander Turchin, KGB head Ivan Tertel, and Belarus’ permanent representative to the UN Valentin Rybakov also joined the talks from the Belarusian side.

Cole conveyed Trump’s greetings to Lukashenko

During the talks, the US special envoy conveyed Donald Trump’s greetings to Lukashenko. Cole also stated the US President’s support for the work being carried out by the parties within the framework of the current contacts.

The parties separately discussed economic issues. In particular, Lukashenko raised the issue of Belarusian funds frozen at Citibank. Cole said that the American side has contacted the bank and is working on a mechanism for the possible unblocking of these assets. The amount is over $40 million.

The US is seeking the release of political prisoners

The negotiations are taking place against the backdrop of Washington’s efforts to release prisoners in Belarus. According to Reuters, previous contacts between the parties have already led to the release of hundreds of people in exchange for partial easing of US sanctions.

At the same time, the Viasna Human Rights Center reports that more than 900 political prisoners remain in Belarus. Lukashenko himself denies the existence of political persecution in the country.

The current meeting was another round of contacts between the US and the Belarusian authorities. The parties continue negotiations on the release of prisoners, sanctions and economic relations.