U.S. envoy John Coale, appointed by President Donald Trump, met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on Friday to discuss the release of political prisoners, according to state media.
A brief video shared by a Telegram channel linked to Lukashenko’s administration showed the two greeting each other with a handshake and a brief embrace. Lukashenko congratulated Coale on his appointment as Trump’s special envoy last month, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
“You’re currently our top official on Belarus. Tell Trump that we must do something about this. And we will,” Lukashenko said.
Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, emphasized that the talks would address new emerging problems amid a rapidly changing global situation. Trump has called for up to 1,400 detainees, whom he referred to as “hostages,” to be freed.
During Coale’s previous visit in September, he secured the release of 52 people, including 40 political prisoners, with one returning to jail after refusing deportation. In exchange, the U.S. lifted sanctions on Belarus’ state airline.
Since then, human rights group Viasna has designated 167 new political prisoners, prompting criticism from the Belarusian opposition of a “revolving door” policy, replacing released detainees with new ones.
The outcome of Friday’s talks could influence future U.S.-Belarus relations and shape international pressure on Lukashenko’s government.