Belarus KGB Reports on Unofficial Contacts with U.S. and Poland
The head of Belarus’s Committee for State Security (KGB), Ivan Tertel, reported to President Alexander Lukashenko on unofficial contacts with U.S. representatives and Polish intelligence services, according to a statement published on Tuesday.
The security agency did not disclose details of the interactions. However, the press service of the Presidential Administration stated that regarding the United States, the talks concerned «concrete steps» of a humanitarian nature related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The statement also noted that the United States had put forward new proposals to the Belarusian authorities. Their exact nature remains unclear, but Washington had previously called on Minsk to release more than 1,000 prisoners. So far, approximately 150 have been freed.
Concerning Poland, Tertel reported contacts with the neighboring country’s intelligence services aimed at «resolving the most acute problems existing between the countries.»
Regarding Lithuania, the KGB chief did not report any contacts with its intelligence services, according to the presidential administration’s statement. Official Minsk merely called on Vilnius for «constructive engagement and negotiations on matters of border cooperation and beyond.»
Previously, on October 31, President Lukashenko made a surprise announcement about ongoing confidential negotiations with Poland and the United States. He disclosed details of a potential prisoner swap deal against the backdrop of Poland’s decision to open border crossing points with Belarus.