Belarus claims that the US did not issue it visas for the Peace Council

Belarus claims that it wanted to attend the inaugural meeting of the Peace Council convened by US President Donald Trump in Washington, but its delegation was denied visas.

Minsk stated that Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov was supposed to be present and that the US side was aware of his participation. However, despite fulfilling all the procedures, the visas were not issued, according to the statement.

The Belarusian ministry questions what kind of "peace" can be discussed if the organizers cannot even ensure the basic formalities.

The invitation was originally addressed to President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994 and agreed to attend last month. This is part of a cautious rapprochement between the US and Belarus after Washington eased some sanctions in exchange for the release of political prisoners.

However, Lukashenko continues to be seen as a close ally of Russia, which used Belarusian territory to invade Ukraine.

(reuters, pir)