Item 1 of 4 Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko shakes hands with U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg during a meeting in Minsk, Belarus, June 21, 2025. Press Service of the President of the Republic of Belarus/Handout via REUTERS

[1/4] Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko shakes hands with U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg during a meeting in Minsk, Belarus, June 21, 2025. Press Service of the President of the Republic of Belarus/Handout via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

MOSCOW, June 21 (Reuters) – Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko met with U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg, Belarusian state news agency Belta reported on Saturday.

Lukashenko discussed with Kellogg the political situation in the world and the bilateral relations between Belarus and the United States, Belta reported.

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Earlier this week, sources in Washington told Reuters of Kellogg’s plan to visit Belarus and meet Lukashenko. They said that while the exact agenda for the meeting was unclear, the envoy viewed it as a step that could help jump-start peace talks aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.

In a video of the meeting released by Belta, Lukashenko warmly embraces Kellogg.

“Who doesn’t know him? He is the most media-savvy person around these days,” Lukashenko said.

Kellogg is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the authoritarian state in years.

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