Kellogg: U.S. Talks with Putin through Lukashenko

Washington is considering Alexander Lukashenko as a potential interlocutor with Vladimir Putin on ending the war in Ukraine, Trump's special representative to Ukraine told The Guardian.

Keith Kellogg added that the recent U.S. deal with Minsk was concluded primarily on ensuring reliable lines of communication to Putin. He acknowledged that he highly values the Belarusian leader's understanding of the Russian leader's personality.

The Guardian also cites European diplomatic sources. They reported that preliminary discussions are underway in Brussels on whether the EU's policy of isolating Belarus remains effective.

"Maximum pressure on Minsk has not worked," one source stated. However, he added that it is still remains unclear what Brussels should replace the current sanctions policy.