U.S. Deputy Assistant State Secretary Christopher W. Smith visited Belarus alongside two other U.S. officials in an unannounced meeting on Feb. 12, the New York Times reported, potentially ending Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's isolation from the West.
Belarus has been cut off from the West following Lukashenko's crackdown on the 2020 mass protests in response to what the West denounced as fraudulent election results. Since then, Belarusian authorities have increasingly suppressed political freedoms and have become complacent in Russia's war against Ukraine.
The meeting comes as the U.S. seeks to negotiate a deal with Belarusian authorities. In exchange for the release of an undefined number of political prisoners, the U.S. is willing to ease sanctions on Belarusian banks and potash, the New York Times (NYT) reported on Feb. 15, citing unnamed officials in contact with Smith on Feb. 13.
Belarus is a major producer of potash, a key ingredient in fertilizer.
Revealing the meeting, Smith said during a briefing on Feb. 13 that it was the goal of U.S. officials to secure freedom for more political prisoners.
Alena Movshuk, a Belarusian activist, and Andrey Kuznechyk, a journalist for Radio Free Europe were released, Franak Viacorka, Senior Advisor to Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tikhanovskaya said.
Smith drove to Belarus from Lithuania, following a phone call with Lukashenko. The small U.S. delegation visited a border town where three political prisoners were transferred, including one U.S. citizen, and two Belarusian citizens.
The Belarusian leader assured Smith he was ready to decrease repression in Belarus, Smith said, adding that the U.S. wants Belarus to be less reliant on Russia.
Lukashenko was handed a seventh consecutive term as President of Belarus on Jan. 26, in an election that has been internationally denounced as a sham.
Minsk refused to invite a mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to observe the country's Jan. 26 presidential election.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
