{"id":126291,"date":"2025-02-13T23:49:09","date_gmt":"2025-02-13T20:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/126291\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:40:57","slug":"cichanouskaja-meets-with-us-diplomat-who-took-prisoners-out-of-belarus","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/126291\/","title":{"rendered":"Cichano\u016dskaja meets with US diplomat who took prisoners out of Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (the press office of \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

February 13, Pozirk. <\/em><\/strong>Opposition leader \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja has detailed a meeting she had with Christopher Smith, US deputy assistant secretary of state, today in Vilnius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Yesterday, Mr. Smith was on a ‘special operation’ in Minsk to free our political prisoners,” the politician said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I thanked Mr. Smith for his efforts, cooperation and coordination with my Office and expressed my personal gratitude to President Trump and State Secretary Rubio. It became possible precisely because of their political will,” Cichano\u016dskaja said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to her, Smith confirmed that the prisoners were freed unilaterally, without any US concessions to the Belarusian government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I am glad that we are establishing a trusting relationship with the new US administration, and yesterday we saw concrete results of this cooperation,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cichano\u016dskaja went on to say that they discussed “the next steps to free other political prisoners.” “Yes, our goal is for everyone to be released and for the repressions to stop. This is a necessary condition for a national dialogue to begin. And I see that in America there is a desire and readiness to help us with that,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to her, they also talked about continuing the strategic dialogue between the United States and the Belarusian pro-democracy forces and cooperation in the international arena, \u201cespecially in the context of the current negotiations on Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We cannot allow Belarus to become a consolation prize for Russia. And we must do everything possible to get Belarus out of the war,” Cichano\u016dskaja stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yesterday, Belarus freed journalist Andrej Ku\u017anie\u010dyk, protester Alena Ma\u016d\u0161uk and an unnamed US citizen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the development. “We remain committed to the release of other US citizens in Belarus and elsewhere. We call for the release of nearly 1,300 political prisoners who remain in jail across Belarus,” he said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talking to CNN<\/em>, Smith described picking up Ku\u017anie\u010dyk and Ma\u016d\u0161uk in Belarus as a special operation. He also called the release of the unnamed US citizen Belarus’ response to US President Donald Trump’s strategy “peace through strength.” The US will continue to work until it brings all Americans home, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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