A senior United States representative visited Belarus for the first time in a long time and met with Alexander Lukashenko, as well as the head of the Belarusian KGB, reports The New York Times citing its sources.
According to the publication, before the release of three prisoners, including a journalist from the Belarusian service of «Radio Liberty» Andrei Kuznechik and an unnamed US citizen, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Smith and two American officials visited Minsk. Washington is offering the Belarusian authorities an agreement under which, in exchange for the release of a significant number of political prisoners, the US may ease sanctions on the country's banking system and key industrial enterprises.
According to sources, upon returning from Belarus, Smith called the release of political prisoners a «huge victory» and a triumph of President Trump's policy of «Peace through strength» during a meeting with diplomats in Vilnius. In addition to the release of political prisoners, another goal of US diplomacy is to weaken Lukashenko's ties with Russia, which have especially strengthened after the suppression of mass protests and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A representative of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya stated that they are grateful to President Trump for «managing to get things moving», but added that sanctions should only be eased when «Lukashenko stops repression and new arrests» and releases all prisoners. According to the human rights group «Viasna», there are currently 1226 political prisoners in Belarus.
Tatyana Khomich, the sister of political prisoner Maria Kolesnikova, also stated that such a «direct diplomatic approach can yield concrete results, including the release of individual prisoners or even a broader amnesty», while weakening Belarus's dependence on Russia and «maintaining some leverage for the US and the European Union».
Artem Shraibman, a political analyst who fled Belarus after the 2020 protests, told NYT that Western sanctions have not had much impact due to Russia's strong support for Lukashenko. But the release of prisoners in exchange for easing sanctions, he said, «means that they have finally been used with some effect».
During the protests following Lukashenko's election in 2020, Belarus conducted mass arrests, and the country plunged into brutal repression. Less than a year and a half later, Lukashenko allowed Russia to use his country as a staging ground for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Piotr Kravchik, former head of Poland's foreign intelligence service, believes that Belarus is «part of a broader American approach to Russia». «Negotiations with Belarus create additional leverage for the US to make it clear to Russia that it should be more attentive to American arguments», he said.
Photo: Maxim Shipenkov