Latest news with #Lukashenko


Washington Post
an hour ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Belarus frees key opposition figure Siarhei Tsikhanouski following rare visit from top US envoy
TALLINN, Estonia — Belarus has freed Siarhei Tsikhanouski, a key dissident figure and the husband of exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya , following a visit there by a senior Trump administration official, Tsikhanouskaya's team announced on Saturday. It said Tsikhanouski, a popular blogger and activist, had arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania, alongside 13 other political prisoners. Tsikhanouski's release came just hours after the Belarusian authorities announced that the country's authoritarian President, Alexander Lukashenko, met with Trump's Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg in Minsk.


Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Belarus Frees Key Opposition Figure Siarhei Tsikhanouski Following Rare Visit From Top US Envoy
Belarus has freed Siarhei Tsikhanouski, a key dissident figure and the husband of exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, following a visit there by a senior Trump administration official, Tsikhanouskaya's team announced on Saturday. It said Tsikhanouski, a popular blogger and activist, had arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania, alongside 13 other political prisoners. Tsikhanouski's release came just hours after the Belarusian authorities announced that the country's authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko met with Trump's Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg in Minsk. Tsikhanouski was jailed in 2020 after announcing plans to challenge Lukashenko in that year's election. Following his arrest, his wife ran in his stead, rallying large crowds in her support across the country. Official results of the election handed Lukashenko his sixth term in office but were denounced by the opposition and the West as a sham. Amid unprecedented protests that broke out in the aftermath of the vote, Tsikhanouskaya left the country under pressure from the authorities. Her husband was later sentenced to 19-1/2 years in prison on charges of organizing mass riots.


The Sun
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Belarus' Lukashenko meets with US envoy Kellogg, Belta reports
MOSCOW: Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko met with U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg, Belarusian state news agency Belta reported on Saturday. Lukashenko discussed with Kellogg the political situation in the world and the bilateral relations between Belarus and the United States, Belta reported. Earlier this week, sources in Washington told Reuters of Kellogg's plan to visit Belarus and meet Lukashenko. They said that while the exact agenda for the meeting was unclear, the envoy viewed it as a step that could help jump-start peace talks aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine. In a video of the meeting released by Belta, Lukashenko warmly embraces Kellogg. 'Who doesn't know him? He is the most media-savvy person around these days,' Lukashenko said. Kellogg is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the authoritarian state in years.


The Sun
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Lukashenko meets US envoy Kellogg in Minsk
MOSCOW: Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko met with U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg, Belarusian state news agency Belta reported on Saturday. Lukashenko discussed with Kellogg the political situation in the world and the bilateral relations between Belarus and the United States, Belta reported. Earlier this week, sources in Washington told Reuters of Kellogg's plan to visit Belarus and meet Lukashenko. They said that while the exact agenda for the meeting was unclear, the envoy viewed it as a step that could help jump-start peace talks aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine. In a video of the meeting released by Belta, Lukashenko warmly embraces Kellogg. 'Who doesn't know him? He is the most media-savvy person around these days,' Lukashenko said. Kellogg is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the authoritarian state in years.

Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Belarus' Lukashenko meets with US envoy Kellogg, Belta reports
FILE PHOTO: Alexander Lukashenko takes the oath during an inauguration ceremony, as he is sworn in as Belarusian President for the seventh term, in Minsk, Belarus, March 25, 2025. Press Service of the President of the Republic of Belarus/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo MOSCOW - Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko met with U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg, Belarusian state news agency Belta reported on Saturday. Lukashenko discussed with Kellogg the political situation in the world and the bilateral relations between Belarus and the United States, Belta reported. Earlier this week, sources in Washington told Reuters of Kellogg's plan to visit Belarus and meet Lukashenko. They said that while the exact agenda for the meeting was unclear, the envoy viewed it as a step that could help jump-start peace talks aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine. In a video of the meeting released by Belta, Lukashenko warmly embraces Kellogg. "Who doesn't know him? He is the most media-savvy person around these days," Lukashenko said. Kellogg is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the authoritarian state in years. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.