Belarus Talks: Trump envoy meets Lukashenko, prisoner deal in focus

U.S. special envoy John Coale, appointed by President Donald Trump to manage relations with Belarus, met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on December 12, 2025.
The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss a potential major prisoner-release deal, with the U.S. pressing for the freedom of a large number of political detainees, often described as “hostages” by Washington.

This meeting continues a diplomatic track that began months earlier, when Coale’s previous visit resulted in the release of dozens of prisoners and a partial easing of U.S. sanctions on Belarusian sectors.

🇧🇾 Belarus’s Strategy and Opposition Concerns

Lukashenko appears to be signaling interest in improving ties with the West, even as Belarus remains aligned with Russia.
Human rights groups and Belarusian opposition leaders, however, warn that the government frequently releases some prisoners while detaining new ones, using people in custody as bargaining leverage.

Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has urged the U.S. to use both pressure and incentives, arguing Lukashenko will only make concessions if the cost of retaining political prisoners becomes too high.

✨ Context and Recent Moves

• Belarus earlier pardoned several Ukrainian prisoners as part of its attempts to rebuild international dialogue.

• Since mid-2024, prisoner releases have occurred in waves, though thousands of political detainees are still believed to remain in custody.

• Critics argue Lukashenko’s offers of cooperation are transactional, primarily aimed at reducing sanctions or gaining political legitimacy.

🚣 “Fake Death Kayaker” — Unrelated Story

You also mentioned the “fake death kayaker” case, which is a separate news event.

🧗‍♂️ Ryan Borgwardt — The Man Who Faked His Own Death

A Wisconsin man named Ryan Borgwardt staged his own drowning by capsizing his kayak in 2024 and disappearing, causing authorities to launch a large rescue and recovery effort.
He fled the country, traveled through Canada and Europe, and eventually reached the nation of Georgia to meet someone he had connected with online.

Authorities later persuaded him to return to the U.S. He was convicted of obstructing an officer, sentenced to 89 days in jail, and ordered to repay the substantial cost of the multi-day search operation.