“We did not participate in these negotiations and have limited information. Unfortunately, we have no evidence that this exchange could lead to the release of political prisoners in Belarus. Evidently, these were negotiations with Moscow, and Belarus was not involved.
We welcome the release of political prisoners from Russian prisons. Such a prisoner exchange is itself an important precedent that could also help achieve the release of Belarusians. It is clear that an exchange for release assumes that there is someone or something to exchange for. This distinguishes the Belarusian situation from the Russian one.
We utilize every opportunity and tool to get our people out of prisons. We regularly raise this issue with Western partners. Consultations take place in various formats, though, of course, privately. We know that diverse efforts are being made to free Belarusians. Unfortunately, the problem lies not with Western partners but with the regime, which is not interested in releasing people and openly demonstrates this”.
