In a move that caught many observers and politicians by surprise, US President Donald Trump made a phone call to Belarusian strongman Aleksandr Lukashenko just hours before his Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin last week.
Trumpwroteon social media, describing Lukashenko as "the highly respected President," that his conversation with him had focused on the release of 1,300 political prisoners.
According toValer Kavaleuski, head of an exiled think tank called the Euro-Atlantic Affairs Agency, Trump's emphasis on political prisoners was deeply symbolic.
"Trump put the humanitarian issue, the release of political prisoners, at the very top of his message," Kavaleuski told RFE/RL.
"This highlights that humanitarian negotiations are convenient for both Minsk and Washington. They avoid difficult issues like geopolitics or the war in Ukraine, while appearing noble and dignified because they are about people's lives."
