On March 31—April 1, Diplomatic Advisor Dzianis Kuchynski paid a working visit to Washington, D.C., on behalf of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
The talks focused on securing the release of political prisoners, as well as strengthening support for the Belarusian community and democratic initiatives.
Mr. Kuchynski held meetings with:
- Andy Baker, Deputy National Security Advisor to US President Donald Trump;
- Charles McLaughlin, Assistant to the US President and Senior Director for European Affairs;
- John Coale, Special Envoy to Belarus;
- Christopher Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Eastern Europe;
- Jamie Fly, CEO of Freedom House;
- Alina Polyakova, President and CEO of the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA);
- Tamara Cofman Wittes, President of the National Democratic Institute (NDI);
- Damon Wilson, President and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED);
- Damian Murphy, Senior Vice President for National Security and International Policy at the Center for American Progress;
- Eric Green, Nonresident Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
In addition, meetings took place in the United States Congress.
Dzianis Kuchynski: “We are sincerely grateful to the United States for the efforts that have contributed to the release of political prisoners. Over the past year, more than 500 people have been freed from prison — that means more than 500 lives saved. We must still maintain a principled European approach toward the regime. A balance of roles is needed here — such coordinated actions bring results”.
