Irina Nesterova18:14, 15.02.25

Trump probably wants to unfreeze relations with Belarus, analysts believe.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Smith traveled secretly to Belarus this week to meet with dictator Alexander Lukashenko and the head of the Belarusian KGB, in what may be the beginning of a thawing of relations between the United States and Russia’s closest ally, The New York Times reports .

It is noted that this was Lukashenko’s first meeting with a high-ranking State Department official in five years. And it took place a day after a telephone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

The publication reported that after negotiations with Lukashenko, Smith and two other American officials went to a village near the border with Lithuania, where they picked up three prisoners – an American and two Belarusian political prisoners. The Americans and the released prisoners returned across the border to Vilnius.

Speaking outside the US Embassy in Vilnius on Thursday, Smith congratulated the successful completion of the “special operation”, describing the release of the prisoners as a “great victory”.

It is also said that at a meeting with diplomats he said that a big deal was possible, according to which Lukashenko would release a number of political prisoners, including well-known ones, and the US, in turn, would ease sanctions against Belarusian banks and the export of potassium for fertilizers, the main producer of which is Belarus.

This event has already been commented on by the head of the office of the leader of the Belarusian opposition Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Franak Vyachorka, who thanked Trump for “being able to move the matter forward.” But, he stressed, sanctions should only be eased when “Lukashenko stops repression and new arrests” and “releases all political prisoners, including top officials.”

The report says Smith led Belarus policy during the administration of former US President Joe Biden and began preliminary discussions with US allies last year on easing sanctions, but he had never traveled to Minsk to meet with Lukashenko before.

According to diplomats who attended Smith’s briefing, the diplomat said the U.S.’s main goal was to secure freedom for as many political prisoners as possible. And Lukashenko allegedly expressed a willingness to reduce repression.

According to Belarusian political analyst Artem Shraibman, quoted by the publication, the big question now is how the Kremlin will react to any rapprochement between Belarus and the West. According to him, many Russian officials “would probably panic at the prospect,” but “there is no quick or easy way for Belarus to distance itself from Russia, given Moscow’s economic dominance over the country.”

He added that it was unlikely that President Trump had any special interest or agenda in Belarus. Despite this, he stressed, “the Trump factor certainly creates some momentum, as everyone, including Lukashenko, is trying to impress the US president and compete for his attention.”

(C)UNIAN 2025