Minsk to hold talks with US delegation soon, says Belarusian leader

Self-proclaimed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko said at a government meeting on Monday 10 November that official talks are soon to take place between Minsk and a US delegation.

Source: European Pravda, citing BelTA, a Belarusian state-owned news outlet

Details: Lukashenko said the situation on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border will be on the agenda.

Quote from Lukashenko: "We hardly transport anything across that border now because of the sanctions. Only a few types of goods go through – the ones the Lithuanians or Poles really, really need. If they really need something, they order it and we send it. If they don't, we don't. And with regard to the Kazakhs, Russians, Chinese and the rest, they [the Lithuanians] will have to do more than just offer an explanation; they'll have to sort it out. Because no one should act like that.

We'll talk about everything else once talks start with the delegation from the United States of America. I have a feeling we cannot do without them now."

Background:

• It was recently reported that US President Donald Trump has nominated John Coale, whom Trump described as "one of our Country's truly GREAT lawyers", as his special envoy to Belarus.
• In recent weeks, the Trump administration has sought to re-establish contact with the Lukashenko regime, and this has been reflected in the release of Belarusian political prisoners.
• As part of these efforts, the United States has lifted sanctions on the Belarusian state-owned airline Belavia.
• On Tuesday 4 November, the US Treasury Department eased certain sanctions on Belarus, lifting restrictions on the national airline and permitting operations connected to Lukashenko's aircraft.

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