US envoy Kellogg meets with Lukashenko in Minsk

“I very much hope that our conversation will be very sincere, open. Otherwise, what’s the point of meeting? If we try to be tricky, to outwit one another, we won’t achieve any result,” Lukashenko said.

In turn, Kellogg expressed gratitude for the hospitality and the meeting.

“We are living in a very dangerous time, when the crises we are facing can escalate sharply, expand, if we are not wise and just,” said Trump’s special envoy.

Lukashenko guaranteed Kellogg’s safety and promised to prevent any escalation.

“General, I promise you that you will be in complete safety on the territory of Belarus and that during this time there will be no escalation not only in Belarus, but also around us,” the Belarusian leader said.

The meeting took place at the Palace of Independence.

Background

Earlier, Reuters reported that the US special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg might travel to Belarus in the coming days. According to its sources, Kellogg was to meet with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to give impetus to negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Kellogg became the highest-ranking US official in recent years to visit Belarus.

Adviser to the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Mykhailo Podolyak, said that the United States is thereby attempting to establish another channel of communication. In his view, this strategy is misguided, since Lukashenko is not an influential actor and operates rather cautiously.