Trump envoy, seeking release of Belarusian prisoners, says Lukashenko may visit US soon

March 19 - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko may soon visit the United States, a U.S. envoy said on Thursday, a trip that would mark a breakthrough for the veteran authoritarian leader as he seeks to end years of isolation from the West.

U.S. envoy John Coale was speaking after meeting Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, on his latest visit to Minsk to try to negotiate the release of Belarusian political prisoners.

Belarusian state media quoted Coale as saying the two sides were working to organise a Lukashenko visit. He said they had also discussed the possible reopening of the U.S. embassy in Minsk, which Washington closed after Belarus allowed Russia to invade Ukraine from its territory in February 2022.

In return for normalising ties, the U.S. is pushing Lukashenko to free what human rights groups say are more than 1,100 Belarusians currently behind bars because of political or human rights activity.

There was no immediate word from either side on what further releases might result from Thursday's talks.

Lukashenko, greeting Coale with a hug, said he was ready to "discuss any issues and answer any questions", but also wanted to talk about the Ukraine crisis and the war in Iran, where he said the U.S. was "fighting against our friends".

Previous talks between the two men resulted in the release of dozens of political prisoners last September and a further 123 in December, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski and opposition politicians Maria Kalesnikava and Viktar Babaryka.

The U.S. responded by removing sanctions on Belarusian potash - a key ingredient in fertilisers and a key source of export revenue for the former Soviet republic.

OPPOSITION SAYS DEEPER REFORMS ARE NEEDED IN BELARUS

Lukashenko, in power since 1994, was long treated as a pariah by the West because of his human rights record and backing for Russia in the Ukraine conflict.

The U.S. side has made clear it sees value in cultivating him, given his close ties with Putin, and says he has offered good advice as the U.S. seeks to end the four-year war.

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said she welcomed the humanitarian effort by Trump's administration to win the release of prisoners.

"But at the same time, we must insist on real, systemic change in Belarus — an end to repression and the holding of free and fair elections," she said.

"We need a genuine dialogue — not between the West and Lukashenko, but with Belarusian society. Only this can lead to real change in Belarus." REUTERS