Trump Envoy’s Belarus Visit Is Followed by Prisoner Release

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko released 14 imprisoned opposition activists after meeting with a US presidential envoy in the highest-level contact between the two countries in years.

President Donald Trump’s envoy, General Keith Kellogg, visited Lukashenko — an ally of Russia’s Vladimir Putin who’s under a range of international sanctions, including by the US — in Minsk on Saturday just before the announcement. Lukashenko pardoned 14 prisoners at Trump’s request, presidential spokeswoman Natalya Eismont said on the Pul Pervogo Telegram channel.