Belarus frees three of its detainees amongst them was an American, US President Donald Trump will continue efforts at mediation to stop the war between Ukraine and Russia, Minsk’s close ally.
The name of the American has not been disclosed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who confirmed the release. Among them was Andrei Kuznechyk, a journalist for the US-sponsored Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Belarus Service, for whom the last more than one year in detention has not assisted his good fortune.
Stephen Capus, president of RFE/RL, said in a statement, “Most wonderful news for Marc and his family,” as “the family had been separated for over three years, while Kuznechyk had returned home.” Kuznechyk has since reunited with his wife and children in Lithuania, according to Franak Viacorka, chief political advisor to Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Tsikhanouskaya confirmed that activist Alena Maushuk was released but her condition had deteriorated because of the cross-border trip with the other released prisoners. After their last step on Lithuanian soil, all the three identified detainees thus readjusted their space.
While the State Department has not confirmed the identity of the released American, some sources assert that another US citizen, Youras Ziankovich remains incarcerated in Belarus. The American of 47 was arrested while in Moscow in April of 2021, nonetheless, he was transferred to Belarus against his wishes, was tried in secrecy, and was convicted for plotting a coup; he finally met US officials in January for his first diplomatically arranged visit.
These outcomes illustrate the ongoing US diplomatic efforts to win the freedom of American detainees abroad while addressing broader geopolitical tensions with Russia and Belarus.