US leader Donald Trump's team claims that the unexpected "warming" in relations with Belarus, ruled by dictator Alexander Lukashenko, is due to US attempts to "secure lines of communication" with illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Points of attention
- The US acknowledges the complexities of dealing with the Lukashenko regime, understanding the potential risks while working towards a resolution to the war in Ukraine.
- The success in releasing some political prisoners is seen as a positive step, but the primary focus remains on finding a sustainable solution to end the conflict with the Russian Federation.
What is Trump's team trying to achieve?
The US President's Special Representative for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, made a statement on this matter.
He made it clear that without dialogue with Lukashenko, it would be extremely difficult to reach Putin and convey to him all important proposals and demands:
We don't know what he (Lukashenko — ed.) is saying, but we know he is talking to him (Putin — ed.). But what we did was establish communication to ensure that the lines of communication were open so that we could make sure that all our messages were being conveyed to President Putin.
Keith Kellogg
US President's Special Representative for Ukraine
As the diplomat noted, in order to improve relations with Minsk, the United States decided to lift sanctions against the Belarusian state airline Belavia.
Kellogg also frankly admitted that the White House initially did not plan to release political prisoners from the Lukashenko regime.
According to him, the success in releasing some political prisoners was a positive moment, but the key goal is to find the best solution to end the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine.
Kellogg assured the media that the United States is not "naive" about the Lukashenko regime:
We know that if he frees one (prisoner), he will probably capture two more.
