Another American is headed home, part of the release of three prisoners. This latest is coming from Russian ally Belarus, where the American citizen has been imprisoned. The captive’s identity, by their request, has not been released.
An American is one of three hostages released from Belarus, the White House has announced.
The identity of the hostage has not been released as the person wished to remain private, U.S. Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler said.
“He’s made bringing hostages home a top priority and people respect that,” Boehler said of President Donald Trump.
Boehler did not reveal the nationalities of the other released detainees but said that one of them was a journalist.
The timing here is interesting, coming as it does on the same day as President Trump’s prolonged telephone conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. While Belarus is an independent country, it is allied with Russia and, to employ an old Cold War term, falls within Russia’s “sphere of influence.” If Tsar Vladimir I called up Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and said “Jump,” it’s a near-certainty that Lukashenko would ask, “How high?”
We have no way of knowing if this is true, of course. But the timing is curious.
This is the second American prisoner to be released from Belarus since President Trump’s inauguration.
Last month, American Anastassia Nuhfer was released from a Belarus prison. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday announced the release and said that she had been “taken” under the Biden administration.
It wasn’t clear why she was detained, but a former high-ranking Belarusian diplomat indicated that her detention was connected to the 2020 protests in Belarus. The exact nature of her involvement remains unclear.
Fox News understands today’s release was the second part of a two-part deal, with Nuhfer’s release being the first part.
Bringing Americans home is always a good thing, and we must note, something the previous administration didn’t seem to put a high priority on.
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We should note that Belarus, in addition to being a key Russian ally, mimics Russia in another respect: The country’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, has managed to keep his hands on the levers of power in Belarus for three decades, thanks in no small part to highly suspect elections. The small Russian satellite lies in what must be a tense position, neatly sandwiched between Russia and NATO; this would seem to make playing both sides against the middle a key ability for anyone at the wheel in Belarus. That would indicate that President Lukashenko may well be corrupt – but he’s not stupid.
Meanwhile, another American is headed home.
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