US is not naive about Lukashenko’s regime. We don’t care who we use to send messages to Putin - Kellogg
The United States has no illusions about the regime of dictator Alexander Lukashenko.
This was stated by US Special Representative Keith Kellogg at the Warsaw Security Forum, according to Censor.NET, citing Ukrinform.
In particular, Kellogg stated that the US's focus on the self-proclaimed "president of Belarus" Alexander Lukashenko is explained by the fact that "he talks a lot with Putin."
"We established relations to ensure open channels of communication so that we could be sure that all our messages were being conveyed to Putin. That is why we did it. Initially, we did not intend to release political prisoners," said the US president's special representative.
Kellogg also emphasized that the success in securing the release of some political prisoners was a positive aspect, but "the overall goal was not to secure the release of political prisoners, but to find the best solution to the war between Ukraine and Russia."
He said that the US is focused on ensuring that "the messages sent to Vladimir Putin correspond to the messages received by other circles."
"I don't care if it's Kirill Dmitriev, or (Yuri. - Ed.) Ushakov, or Lukashenko. It's important that these messages are conveyed," Kellogg said.
He also noted that the US is not "naive" about Lukashenko's rule, and "if he releases one (prisoner. - Ed.), he will probably take two more."
Kellogg also added that the agreement with Belarus was intended to help the state-owned airline Belavia repair its aircraft, as "the best option is for their planes not to fall out of the sky," but it was clearly stated that they should not be used for "criminal purposes" and to transport migrants to Europe.
Recall that Kellogg also stated that the US negotiations with Belarus were aimed at communicating with Putin.
