Belarusian politician said he is on the phone with Coale about "once a week"

Belarusian politician Valery Tsepkalo claims he speaks with John Coale, the U.S. Special Envoy for Belarus, on average once a week.

"I asked him not to politicize this issue in any way and even to refrain from meeting with [Sviatlana] Tsikhanouskaya, as it would derail the diplomatic efforts already underway," Tsepkalo says. "I knew they would try to take credit for it, and if that happened, it would immediately halt the process of releasing political prisoners."

The politician further claims he had been "explaining" this to mr. Coale and offering him advice even before the American lawyer was appointed as Special Envoy.

Thanks to the efforts of the U.S. and Mr. Coale personally, the Lukashenko regime has already released several hundred political prisoners.

Valery Tsepkalo sought to run in the 2020 Belarusian presidential election but was barred from the race. Over the years, he has served as Belarus’s Ambassador to the United States, Lukashenko’s representative in parliament, and his presidential aide. Additionally, Tsepkalo was the head of the Belarusian Hi-Tech Park.