Trump Considers Mar-a-Lago Summit With Lukashenko After Prisoner Release

The US is considering an invitation for Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House or Mar-a-Lago, the Financial Times reported on March 23.

Trump’s special envoy to Belarus, John Coale, confirmed that internal discussions regarding a potential meeting have been underway for months as part of a diplomatic thaw.

Since Trump’s return to office, the US has secured the release of over 500 political prisoners—including Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski and opposition figures Siarhei Tsikhanouski and Maria Kalesnikava—in exchange for lifting sanctions on the Belarusian finance and potash sectors, FT wrote.

While Lukashenko remains a close ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, US officials describe the engagement as a “95% humanitarian” effort aimed at clearing the political agenda and establishing a personal line of communication between the two leaders.

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“I know who Lukashenko is,” Coale said. “But we have a very good relationship. We trust each other,” he continued. “This is Trump, this is Trump-type foreign policy where you get to know somebody.”

The diplomatic rapprochement between Washington and Minsk accelerated in late 2025 as the US sought to reduce regional tensions and secure humanitarian concessions. In mid-December, Belarus freed 114 civilians, including five Ukrainians, following a series of high-level negotiations facilitated by the Trump administration.

Currently, as the US lifts restrictions on the Belarusian finance and potash sectors to encourage further releases, international observers remain skeptical that these gestures will successfully draw the Lukashenko regime away from its strategic alliance with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

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