Macron held phone call with Lukashenko, Belarusian officials say
Aleksandr Lukashenko, President of Belarus (photo: Getty Images)
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone conversation on May 24. It was the first contact between the two leaders at this level in a long time.
According to the Belarusian side, the leaders discussed regional issues as well as Belarus's relations with the European Union and France in particular.
Belarusian state sources also emphasized that the conversation was initiated by Paris. Minsk has not yet disclosed details of any agreements or other topics discussed.
Contacts between Belarus and Western countries intensified in the summer of 2025. At that time, US President Donald Trump's administration began direct talks with Lukashenko, primarily regarding the release of political prisoners.
In December 2025, the United States partially eased sanctions against Belarusian potash companies in exchange for the release of 123 political prisoners.
In March 2026, following another meeting with a US delegation in Minsk, Lukashenko released another group of opposition figures. Washington stressed that the sanctions relief was conditional and depended on Minsk ending politically motivated arrests.
