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Trump’s Ukraine-Russia Envoy May Meet Lukashenko in Attempt to Revive Peace Talks
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Keith Kellogg, Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia is expected to travel to Belarus in the coming days for a meeting with its leader Alexander Lukashenko, marking what would be the most senior US visit to the authoritarian country in years, Reuters reported on June 18.
If the visit goes ahead and includes a meeting with Lukashenko, it would represent a significant diplomatic signal amid the prolonged deadlock in peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
While the precise agenda remains undisclosed, two sources said Reuters Kellogg had described the visit privately as an opportunity to “jump-start” stalled peace negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. The trip has not been publicly announced, and all four sources requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the planning.
The potential visit comes nearly five years after then–Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s 2020 trip to Minsk, which was the highest-level US visit to Belarus in more than two decades. That visit was part of a Trump-era initiative to warm relations with Belarus at a time when Lukashenko’s ties with Moscow had soured.
However, any gains made were rolled back under former President Joe Biden. Following the controversial 2020 Belarusian presidential election, which international observers declared neither free nor fair, mass protests erupted and were met with a harsh government crackdown.
In response, the US and other Western nations froze diplomatic engagement with Minsk. Washington suspended operations at its embassy in Belarus in 2022, citing the country’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Now, under Trump’s renewed leadership, the administration appears to be recalibrating its approach, exploring whether Minsk might be pried—at least slightly—away from Russia’s orbit.
One US official told Reuters that internal discussions have focused on “pulling Belarus marginally closer to the West”, even if full alignment is unlikely.
Earlier, Trump said he is delaying the introduction of new sanctions against Russia, citing the possibility of a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
