Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met with US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg, the Belarusian national news agency BelTA reported today, BTA reported.
Lukashenko discussed with Kellogg the political situation in the world and bilateral relations between Belarus and the United States, the Belarusian agency added. In a video recording of the meeting between the two, released by BelTA, Lukashenko warmly hugs Kellogg.
"Who doesn't know him? He is the most media-savvy person around these days," Lukashenko said.
Earlier this week, US diplomatic officials in Washington informed Reuters of Kellogg's plan to visit Belarus and meet with Lukashenko. According to them, although the specific agenda of the meeting is not clear, Trump's special envoy sees it as a step that could help launch peace talks aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine.
Kellogg is the highest-ranking US representative to visit the authoritarian state in years, Reuters notes.