U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Keith Kellogg stated at the Warsaw Security Forum that the American side does not take Alexander Lukashenko’s regime seriously and focuses on ensuring communication with Vladimir Putin.
Source: Censor.NET
According to him, relations with Lukashenko are maintained to guarantee open communication channels and deliver clear messages to the Kremlin. The release of certain political prisoners is acknowledged as positive, but the main goal was not this—it was to find ways to resolve the war in Ukraine.
Kellogg emphasized that the U.S. is not naive about Lukashenko’s rule: even if he releases one prisoner, it does not guarantee the release of others. The agreement with Belarus also included assistance to the airline Belavia in aircraft maintenance to prevent accidents, but with restrictions on using them for illegal purposes.
The American side notes that the priority remains ensuring coordinated messages to Putin through various channels, including Lukashenko, Kirill Dmitriev, and Yuri Ushakov.