Lukashenko Announced The Date Of Cole's Visit To Belarus

• 11.09.2026, 19:38

The U.S. president's special envoy intends to seek the release of a new group of Belarusian political prisoners.

U.S. President’s Special Envoy John Cole is scheduled to arrive in Belarus on September 15, said Alexander Lukashenko. Earlier, media reports indicated that Cole’s visit was planned for September 14.

Discussing contacts with Washington and the prospects for a “big deal” with the U.S., Lukashenko referred to John Cole as Donald Trump’s “best friend” and said that Cole “is supposed to come to see us on the 15th.”

Prior to this, sources for a “Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty” correspondent Alex Raufoglu, who were familiar with the preparations for the visit, had cited a different date, one day earlier—September 14. According to their information, Cole intends to seek the release of a new group of Belarusian political prisoners.

Trump’s special envoy himself had previously confirmed that he expects new releases around mid-September. He noted that the U.S. had already secured the release of 500 prisoners, followed by another 200 or so under “pardon” decrees signed by Lukashenko.

“So the actual figure is approximately 700–800 people. I hope to bring that number up to a thousand soon. <�…> As far as I know, almost all of the most well-known prisoners have been released. I was also able to negotiate the release of many participants in the 2020 events, who were able to remain in Belarus and return home. This was very important to me. People have returned home to their families. This is a tangible result, and this issue remains part of our negotiations,” Cole said.

According to the “Viasna” Human Rights Center, as of September 11, 902 people in Belarus have been recognized as political prisoners.