US President Donald Trump thanked President Alexander Lukashenko for his partnership in a post on Truth Social.
He expressed gratitude for the release of several prisoners in Belarus - three Polish citizens and two Moldovan citizens - in late April. Trump said that the release was made possible thanks to the efforts of his special envoy John Koala. He stressed that Polish President Karol Nawrocki had approached him last September with a request to secure the release of Polish journalist and activist Andrzej Poczobut.
“Today, Poczobut is free thanks to our efforts“, Trump said, emphasizing that the United States “fulfills its commitments to our allies and friends“.
Trump thanked Lukashenko “for his cooperation and friendship“.
Poczobut returned to Poland in late April 2026 as a result of a five-for-five prisoner exchange on the Polish-Belarusian border. Poczobut, a Belarusian citizen, was detained on March 25, 2021. Two years later, a court in Grodno sentenced him to eight years in prison on charges of inciting hatred and actions aimed at undermining national security. Poland and international human rights organizations called the verdict politically motivated.