A New American Negotiator Arrived In Minsk With Cole
- 15.09.2026, 12:34
He had previously worked in Belarus.
Along with the U.S. President’s Special Envoy for Belarus John Cole, American diplomat Christopher Panico—who had previously served in Belarus—arrived in Minsk on September 15. In talks with the Belarusian authorities, he replaced former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Chris Smith, according to “Zerkalo”.
Panico’s current position has not been officially specified by the State Department. Previously, he served as deputy director of the Office of Intelligence Operations and Oversight within the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research.
He had previously worked in Minsk as part of the OSCE mission, then returned there as a U.S. diplomat, and from 2010 to 2012 served as a political-economic officer and head of the relevant division at the U.S. Embassy.
As noted, Panico has now taken over from Chris Smith—who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Eastern Europe—in the negotiations with Minsk. It was Smith, together with Cole, who participated in the U.S. side’s previous contacts with Alexander Lukashenko, including negotiations on the release of political prisoners.
In July 2026, Smith left his post and in August took charge of the OSCE mission in Moldova. In this role, he also became the OSCE mediator in the Transnistrian settlement.
As a reminder, on September 15, John Cole arrived in Minsk for another round of talks with Alexander Lukashenko. Representing Belarus in the talks were Prime Minister Alexander Turchin, KGB Director Ivan Tertel, and Belarus’s Permanent Representative to the UN Valentin Rybakov.
The day before, on September 14, John Cole arrived in Vilnius, where he met with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budris. They discussed efforts to secure the release of political prisoners in Belarus and the security situation in the region.
Trump’s special envoy had previously stated that expects new releases of Belarusian political prisoners 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.