President Donald Trump on Sunday said John Coale, who helped negotiate the release of prisoners from Belarus, was his choice for special envoy to Minsk and would press for the release of more detainees.
Trump has increased U.S. engagement with the authoritarian state, sending multiple delegations to Minsk this year. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In September, Belarus freed 52 prisoners after an appeal from Trump. He had previously urged Lukashenko, who has been in power for more than 30 years, to release 1,400 detainees whom the U.S. leader has described as hostages.
“He (Coale) has already successfully negotiated the release of 100 hostages, and is going for an additional 50,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network.
“I would like to thank, in advance, the Highly Respected President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, for his consideration on the release of these additional people.”
September’s release was the biggest batch of prisoners pardoned by Lukashenko, who is seeking to repair relations with the U.S. after years of isolation and sanctions.
The United States closed its embassy in Minsk in February 2022 after Putin used Belarus as a launch pad to send tens of thousands of troops into neighboring Ukraine.
By David Ljunggren at Reuters
