Инга Ругинене и Джон Коул. Фото: x.com/IRuginiene
US presidential special envoy for Belarus John Coale arrived in Vilnius today and met with Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė.
Ruginienė said she would discuss the situation in the region with Coale and also thanked him for his efforts to secure the release of Belarusian political prisoners.
“Welcomed US Special Envoy John Coale to Vilnius to discuss the situation in our region. Thank you, Mr. Coale, for your efforts to secure the release of political prisoners in Belarus. Even one political prisoner is one too many. As allies and strategic partners, we highly value US leadership and close cooperation on the most important issues,” Ruginienė wrote on X.
Ruginienė stressed Lithuania’s position on political prisoners: the Belarusian regime must end its repressions, and not a single political prisoner should remain in the country, the Lithuanian government’s press release said.
The sides discussed the security situation in the region, including weather balloons, illegal migration, and the detention of Lithuanian trucks in Belarus.
“The Belarusian regime remains one of the main threats to the security of the region, including Lithuania. This is evidenced by Belarus’s hostile hybrid actions against neighboring countries — smuggled balloons, illegal migration, and the detention of trucks — as well as its support for Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine,” Ruginienė said.
Earlier, media reported that Coale would arrive in Vilnius on March 18 and then travel to Minsk. Coale’s previous visits to the Belarusian capital were accompanied by announcements of a relaxation of US sanctions against the Lukashenka regime, as well as the release of political prisoners, who were then taken out of Belarus. Aliaksandr Lukashenka had also spoken about the upcoming visit by the American delegation.