Lukashenko says meeting with Trump possible once ‘big deal’ is ready

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he would be ready to meet US President Donald Trump ​once a “big deal” between the two countries ‌has been prepared.

“We are ready for a deal, but it needs to be prepared in a way that reflects ​the interests of both the United States ​and Belarus,” Lukashenko said in an interview with ⁠Russian TV network RT, excerpts of which were ​published on Sunday.

Lukashenko is a close ally of ​Russian President Vladimir Putin and has supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, although without sending Belarusian troops to fight there.

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In March, Trump’s ​envoy John Coale said that the Belarusian president may ​soon visit the United States, a trip that would signal ‌a ⁠breakthrough for the veteran authoritarian leader after years of being treated as a pariah because of human rights abuses and his backing for Putin in ​the war.

Lukashenko ​said in ⁠the RT interview that Minsk had adapted to Western sanctions and that any ​potential deal with Washington should go beyond ​sanction ⁠relief.

“We have far more issues to resolve, and that’s the subject of a big deal,” he said ⁠without ​specifying these issues. “Once we finalise ​this at a lower level, we’re ready to meet with Donald ​and sign the agreement.”