Trump's Envoy Frees 52 Prisoners After Deal With Lukashenko

On September 11, Donald Trump's envoy, John Cole, visited Minsk and met with the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. The visit was not ordinary, as, according to sources, it was organized not through the US State Department but as a special mission personally from President Donald Trump. The person sent to Minsk was not a career diplomat. John Cole is an American lawyer known for his work in high-level negotiations.

A central element of the meeting was a personal letter from Donald Trump, which Cole delivered to Lukashenko. Citing official sources, some media outlets have published excerpts from the letter. "Dear Mr. Lukashenko, Melania joins me in extending our best wishes on your birthday. We pray for your health and well-being," the US President wrote to the Belarusian leader. John Cole particularly noted that Trump signed the letter as "Donald," a sign of friendship. The President of Belarus also received a gift with the congratulatory letter. Trump gave Lukashenko cufflinks with the image of the White House.

Lukashenko noted that the cufflinks were "interesting" and added that he would try not to remain "in debt."

The conversation, as reported by Belarusian state media and confirmed by the outcome, was highly transactional. It was mainly focused on the release of prisoners.

After receiving the letter, Lukashenko's press service quoted him as saying that the president was "ready to make a deal." The core of the discussion was a list of prisoners whose release the US was seeking. The group of 52 individuals was of various nationalities.

The most remarkable aspect of the mission was its immediate success. Immediately after the meeting, a spokesperson for the US Embassy (which operates from Vilnius, Lithuania) confirmed the result: the multinational group of 52 prisoners had been released. The release of the 52 prisoners, including 6 Lithuanian citizens, was also confirmed by Lithuanian President Nausėda.

The released individuals did not remain in Belarus. They were immediately taken into the custody of the US delegation and transported by land to Lithuania. This is a clear sign that the deal was executed quickly to prevent any backtracking.

However, many analysts are inclined to think that this will not be a one-time event. Washington will take steps to normalize relations with Belarus.

The US wants to return its embassy to Minsk, John Cole stated at the meeting with Lukashenko. "There is still much to be done to further normalize, improve, etc., these relations. We want to return our embassy to Minsk. We want the economic relations between our countries to develop, for trade to develop," said the US presidential envoy. He also added that President Trump is ready to do everything to finally normalize US-Belarus relations.