US envoy John Coale spoke after meeting Lukashenko in Minsk during a visit aimed at negotiating the release of Belarusian political prisoners, the Reuters news agency reported.
Belarusian state media, cited by Reuters, said the two sides were working to organise a possible visit by Lukashenko to Washington.
Coale said discussions also covered the potential reopening of the US embassy in Minsk, which Washington closed after Belarus allowed Russia to launch its 2022 invasion of Ukraine from its territory.
In return for improved ties, the United States is pushing Lukashenko to free what human rights groups say are more than 1,100 people jailed for political reasons or because of human rights activity.
Andrzej Poczobut, a Polish-Belarusian journalist, has been imprisoned in Belarus since 2021. He has been serving an eight-year prison sentence imposed by the Lukashenko regime. Photo: Artur Reszko/PAP
Lukashenko, greeting Coale with a hug, said he was ready to “discuss any issues and answer any questions,” but also wanted to address the war in Ukraine and tensions involving Iran, where he said the United States was "fighting against our friends," Reuters reported.
Previous talks between Lukashenko and Coale led to the release of dozens of political prisoners in September and a further 123 in December, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski.
In response, the United States lifted sanctions on Belarusian potash, a key export used in fertilisers.
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed efforts by the Trump administration to secure the release of prisoners.
"Every political prisoner rescued is a life saved," she said on X, adding that she supported Coale’s efforts to free those "unjustly imprisoned by the regime."
At the same time, she called for "genuine dialogue — not between the West and Lukashenko, but with Belarusian society," and stressed the need for "real, systemic change in Belarus — an end to repression and free and fair elections," according to Reuters.
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Source: Reuters, IAR, PAP