US President Donald Trump has appointed a special envoy for Belarus, Reuters reported. The post has been entrusted to John Cole, who has already participated in negotiations to release political prisoners from Belarusian prisons, BTA reports.
Trump said his goal is to have more political prisoners released. According to him, earlier this year the US sent several delegations to the Belarusian capital Minsk.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, released 52 political prisoners in September after a phone call with Trump.
There are believed to be about 1,400 political prisoners in the country, whom Trump described as “hostages”. He said Cole played a key role in securing the release of 100 of them and is negotiating the release of 50 more.
Trump expressed his gratitude in advance to “the Honorable President of Belarus Lukashenko” for considering the release of additional prisoners.
Lukashenko is seeking to improve relations with the United States after years of isolation and sanctions. The U.S. embassy in Minsk was closed in February 2022 after Russia used Belarusian territory to send troops into Ukraine.