Trump speaks to Belarus' Lukashenko ahead of Putin summit

President Donald Trump on Friday spoke with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukahsenko ahead of his planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Lukashenko has led Belarus since the mid-1990s and has supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine, permitting the Russian army to station troops in his country. He notably played a pivotal role in ending the Wagner rebellion in 2023 by convincing the mercenary group to abandon its march on Moscow.

"I had a wonderful talk with the highly respected President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko. The purpose of the call was to thank him for the release of 16 prisoners. We are also discussing the release of 1,300 additional prisoners," Trump posted on Truth Social. "Our conversation was a very good one. We discussed many topics, including President Putin’s visit to Alaska. I look forward to meeting President Lukashenko in the future. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

Trump is expected with meet with Putin on Friday in Alaska. The scope of the planned discussion remains unclear, though Trump previously told European leaders he would not negotiate territorial matters on Ukraine with Putin.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.