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Media reports about Washington's departure from the policy of isolating Lukashenko and Putin
The American side hopes that Lukashenko will "release many political prisoners" in exchange for easing sanctions.
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Smith and two other diplomats visited Belarus, where they met with the self-proclaimed head of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, as well as the head of the Belarusian KGB. After talks with Lukashenko, the diplomats took prisoners - an American and two Belarusian political prisoners - at the border with Lithuania. Presumably, this was done in exchange for a promise to ease some sanctions on the republic's economy, The New York Times reports.
Media reports indicate that the diplomats crossed the border by car on February 12. This was Lukashenko's first meeting with high-ranking US officials in the past five years.
The unannounced visit came a day after US President Donald Trump had a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Both events indicate Washington's departure from the policy of isolating leaders who are out of favor with the West due to repressive policies and the war in Ukraine, the publication adds.
After that, in Vilnius, Smith said the next step could be a grand deal in which Lukashenko would release many political prisoners. In exchange, the United States would ease sanctions on Belarusian banks and exports of potash, a key ingredient in fertilizers, of which Belarus is the main producer.
Later, Franak Vyachorka, the chief of staff of exiled opposition leader Svitlana Tikhanovskaya, commented on this statement and claimed that Smith was not the real leader of the American delegation. According to him, a senior official also participated in it.
