Trump’s Special Envoy Coale Arrives to Minsk for Talks with Lukashenko
John Coale, recently appointed as the United States Special Envoy for Belarus, arrived in Minsk on 12 December. The official part of the American delegation’s talks with the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has already taken place at the Palace of Independence, as reported by his press service.
The Telegram channel “Pool of the First,” which is linked to the Belarusian Presidential Administration, published the first footage from the head of state’s office, showing him warmly welcoming Trump’s special envoy and members of his team.
Lukashenko congratulated Coale on his appointment as the “top official for Belarus.”
“Tell Trump that we must do something about this, and we will do it,” was the request voiced by Lukashenko at the table in the opening minutes of the meeting.
According to the Presidential press service, most of the meeting proceeded “as usual”— behind closed doors. The exact agenda of the meeting was not disclosed by the Administration.
It is worth recalling that Trump appointed Coale as the U.S. Special Envoy for Belarus in November of this year. This is not an ambassadorial position, but it grants Cole sufficient authority to negotiate with the country’s authorities. At the time of the appointment, Trump stated that, thanks to previous rounds of talks, Coale had already secured the release of 100 prisoners in Belarus and would now strive to increase that number by a further 50.
Трамп назначил спецпосланника по Беларуси и призвал Минск освободить ещё 50 заключённых