Belarusian President Lukashenko called for normalization of relations with the US, stressing the importance of cooperation between the two countries.

In a telegram addressed to Donald Trump on US Independence Day, Aleksandr Lukashenko called for the restoration of relations between Minsk and Washington, which have been damaged by sanctions after the disputed 2020 elections. Lukashenko, a Putin ally, stressed that the current situation does not serve national interests and called for mutually beneficial cooperation. He recently freed opposition figure Sergei Tykhanovsky in talks with US officials in a bid to improve bilateral relations.