2026-02-27 21:46
publication
2026-02-27 21:46
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he has good relations with Belarus and noted that he “very likes” its leader Alaskan Lukashenko. This is how he answered the question about the normalization of relations with Belarus. At the same time, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the appointment of a special representative for Belarus, which is a clear change in Kyiv's previously cautious foreign policy towards the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.
– We have good relations (with Belarus) and its leader is a person for whom I have great respect. We have very good relations with Belarus and I like its leader very much, Trump said during a conversation with journalists before leaving for Texas.
In this way, he answered a question from a Lithuanian television journalist about the possible normalization of US relations with Belarus.
Minsk has been striving to normalize relations with Washington since last year, and the US president's special envoy for Belarus, John Coale, said he had held talks with Lukashenko on this subject. As a result of the talks, American sanctions were lifted, among others. on Belarusian fertilizer and potash companies and on Lukashenko's planes and Belavia airlines.
Belarus is also one of the members of the Peace Council organization created by Trump, although its representatives were not present at the inaugural meeting of the Council. The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that the reason was that Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhankou did not receive an American visa on time.
Ukrainian turn towards Belarus. The end of the policy of “restraint”?
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Friday the appointment of a special representative for Belarus and the Belarusian community in Europe. According to the president, Ukraine needs a more active foreign policy.
– The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing candidates for the position of special representative for Belarus and the Belarusian community in Europe, Zelensky emphasized in the evening video.
– We are preparing to strengthen certain diplomatic directions in Europe and beyond. Ukrainian interests should be represented at the official level, but also in communicating with the communities of those countries where there is no freedom or which remain under Russian influence, he explained.
Earlier on Friday, Zelensky met with Pavel Klimkin, Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2014-2019. “I am grateful to Paweł for his work for Ukraine and I suggested him several directions of possible cooperation,” the president wrote on social media.
Ukraine had previously pursued a restrained policy towards opponents of Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenko in order to avoid provoking Minsk and maintain the possibility of certain contacts, including the use of Belarus during the prisoner of war exchange operation with Russia.
However, in January, Zelensky met with the leader of the exiled Belarusian democratic forces, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Tsikhanouskaya's visit to Kiev is expected.
Experts explain the change in approach to Belarusian democratic circles in exile by the protracted war and Minsk's growing involvement in the conflict, among others. by placing retranslators for Russian drones in Belarus, plans to deploy nuclear weapons and Oreshnik missiles in this country. One of the reasons could also be the change in the position of the head of the presidential administration in Kiev – Andriy Yermak was replaced by the former head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov. (PAP)
jjk/ap/
From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)
osk/ap/
