US officers at military exercises in Belarus Sign of rapprochement with Washington

On Monday, US military personnel observed the joint military exercises “Zapad-2025” conducted by Russia and Belarus. Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin told the officers that they could “view anything that is of interest to them.” The maneuvers began on Friday at training grounds in both countries, just two days after Poland shot down Russian drones over its territory.

The presence of Americans on Belarusian soil was described as a surprise by the Defense Ministry in Minsk. Videos show two US officers thanking Chrenin for the invitation and shaking his hand. Among the 23 nations present were NATO members Turkey and Hungary.

The Americans' participation is seen as another sign of the cautious rapprochement between Washington and Minsk. Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, had made its territory available for Russian troops to invade Ukraine in 2022.

Last week, Trump's envoy John Coale met with President Alexander Lukashenko. Lukashenko agreed to release 52 political prisoners, including journalists. In return, the US eased sanctions against the state-owned airline Belavia. Trump plans to reopen the US embassy and normalize relations.

(reuters, est)