June 23, Pozirk. Overall, the US delegation’s visit to Belarus was a “great team effort,” the head of the mission, President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, has said on X.
“Our delegation met with the leader of Belarus, Lukashenka and his team. John Coale [Kellogg’s deputy] led discussions on US-Belarus bi-lateral relations which resulted in the release of 14 long held political prisoners from six countries including Japan and Poland. I discussed the RU-UKR War and how POTUS is pushing hard to stop the war and end the killing. President Trump continues to foster peace through strength,” Kellogg said.
The release of the 14 prisoners was one of the key outcomes of the US delegation’s talks with Alaksandar Łukašenka in Minsk on June 21.
The group included opposition politician Siarhiej Cichanoŭski, the husband of Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja. It also included former Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Ihar Karniej, prominent linguist Natalla Dulina, anarchist activist Akichira Hajeŭski-Chanada, dual Belarusian-Swedish citizen Halina Kraśnianskaja and businessman Siarhiej Šelieh.
The others are opposition activist Kirył Bałachonaŭ, Estonian Allan Roio, Latvians Jurijs Gaņins and Dmitrijs Mihailovs and Pole Jerzy Żywolewski. The names of three foreigners remain unknown.
