The EU-US policy divide over Belarus
As the Russia-Ukraine war grinds on with little movement towards President Donald Trump’s pledged “24-hour resolution”, other arenas have gained momentum in his second-term foreign policy. Amid this dynamic context, Minsk has recently surfaced as a new, previously untapped, yet demonstrably successful venue for his deal-making agenda – and a potential strategic lever in Washington’s efforts to shake up the war next door.
September 27, 2025 -
Vitali Matyshau
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AnalysisIssue 5 2025Magazine
Recently released from prison, the Belarusian opposition figure Siarhei Tsikhanouski and his wife Svetlana Tikhanouskaya arrive for a public gathering with the Belarusian diaspora on June 26th 2025 in Warsaw. His release, with others, was no coincidence – it emerged from behind-the-scenes coordination between Washington and Brussels, which was later relayed to Minsk and ultimately greenlit by Lukashenka himself. Photo: Omar Marques
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