Trump’s special envoy established contact with Lukashenko through jokes and vodka - NYT

U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Belarus, John Coale, uses informal conversation, alcohol toasts and crude jokes to establish a personal rapport with Alexander Lukashenko. This approach has become part of Washington’s negotiations with Minsk over the release of political prisoners and the gradual easing of sanctions. This is reported in an article by The New York Times, according to UNN.

Details

According to the publication, Coale has built a personal relationship with Lukashenko, which he uses to advance agreements between the United States and Belarus. During one of the first lengthy meetings, the sides repeatedly raised toasts. Coale said that he drank two shots of vodka and tried to discreetly pour out the rest in order to remain sober during the negotiations.

The American diplomat also deliberately used crude humor. According to him, this style helped ease tensions and establish a personal rapport with the Belarusian leader. Coale had previously described one such episode to the Associated Press. After Lukashenko made harsh remarks about European politicians, the American representative responded with an even cruder phrase.

Coale himself stated that he was prepared to use even "locker-room language" if it would help secure the release of people from Belarusian prisons. According to him, humor is one of the important tools in negotiations: if one manages to make the interlocutor laugh, it helps reduce the level of mistrust.

The informal conversations between Coale and Lukashenko even touched on weight loss. The American, who had lost about 18 kg, told the Belarusian leader about the drug Zepbound.

Context

Behind the unusual diplomatic style are quite specific political agreements. In June 2025, following negotiations involving an American delegation, Belarus released 14 prisoners, including Siarhei Tsikhanouski.

In September of the same year, Minsk released another 52 people. In response, the United States eased some sanctions against the state airline Belavia.

In December, the Belarusian authorities released 123 prisoners, including Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski, Maria Kalesnikava and Viktar Babaryka. Washington subsequently eased restrictions on Belarus’s potash industry.

In March 2026, the largest simultaneous release took place: 250 people were freed. In response, the United States lifted some sanctions against Belarus’s financial sector and a number of potash-industry enterprises.

Coale stated that if Minsk releases the remaining political prisoners, this could create grounds for further lifting of U.S. sanctions.

According to estimates by the American side, as of August, more than 500 people had already been released from Belarusian prisons with U.S. assistance.

At the same time, human rights defenders emphasize that repression in the country has not ceased. According to the Viasna Human Rights Center, at the beginning of August, about 880 political prisoners remained in Belarus, while the authorities continued to detain new people alongside the releases.

Representatives of the Belarusian opposition also warn that this model could turn into a kind of "revolving door," in which Minsk releases some political prisoners in exchange for concessions from the West while simultaneously increasing their number with newly detained people.

Negotiations between the United States and Belarus are already going beyond the issue of prisoners. Coale has discussed the possibility of restoring the full operation of the U.S. embassy in Minsk, further normalizing relations and reaching economic agreements.

Washington is also considering Lukashenko as a possible informal channel of communication with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, given Minsk’s close relations with Moscow.

Recall

In May 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday mentioned Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko, thanking him for his "cooperation and friendship," amid the release of five imprisoned citizens of Poland and Moldova from places of detention in Belarus and Russia.