Poczobut, a leading figure in the Union of Poles in Belarus, spoke to a standing ovation at a Polish American Congress meeting in Washington this week.
"I would not be here were it not for the Polish-American alliance, were it not for the joint efforts of President Trump's administration and representatives of the Polish state, which led to my release", he said.
He described a shared "love of freedom" as a bond between Poles and Americans, and said it was no accident that the Union of Poles in Belarus was the only organisation to survive the country's sweeping crackdown on dissent.
Belarus, he said, is now "five minutes away" from becoming a totalitarian state, with his organisation and the country's Polish minority operating in the narrowing space that remains.
"I believe that through joint efforts we will succeed in widening the space of freedom in Belarus and improving conditions for the Polish minority", he added.
During his US visit, which began Wednesday, Poczobut met presidential envoy John Coale, who helped negotiate his release, as well as several members of Congress.
He had spent more than five years in Belarusian custody, most recently serving an eight-year sentence handed down in 2023 over his opposition activities, before being freed in April. Human rights groups had classed him as a political prisoner.
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Source: PAP, Polish Radio