WASHINGTON: Three detainees have been released from detention in Belarus , including one American, the White House said on Wednesday (Feb 12), as US President Donald Trump looks to forge a deal to end the war in Ukraine with Minsk’s ally, Russia.
“We can confirm the safe release of one American and two individuals from Belarus,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. Leavitt did not name the American who had been released.
US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty announced that one of those released by Belarus was one of their journalists, Andrei Kuznechyk, with the network’s Belarus service, who was arrested in November 2021.
“This is a joyous day for Andrei, his wife, Alesya, and their two young children. After more than three years apart, this family is together again thanks to President (Donald) Trump,” RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus said in a statement.
Kuznechyk has been reunited with his family in Lithuania, said Franak Viacorka, the chief political adviser to Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Tsikhanouskaya in a post on X said activist Alena Maushuk was also released and was in serious health condition, adding that all three of those released were in Vilnius.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the American who had been released. The Russian and Belarusian embassies in Washington also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
