Belarus is making a concerted push to break out of its diplomatic isolation in Europe, seeking to recalibrate its international standing after years of icy relations with the West. According to Reuters reports on October 17, 2025, this renewed outreach follows a recent thaw in ties with the United States and comes as Minsk faces deep Western sanctions over its domestic crackdown on dissent and its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
At the center of Belarus’s latest diplomatic maneuvering is Yuri Ambrazevich, a former deputy foreign minister and the country’s current ambassador to the Vatican. In late September, Ambrazevich was tasked with reaching out to Western European capitals, and soon after, the Belarusian Embassy in Paris sent invitations to officials across the European Union. These emails proposed meetings in the French capital between October 6 and 9, signaling Minsk’s readiness to participate in peace efforts between Russia and Ukraine and to engage in broader European security discussions.
Several European diplomats confirmed to Reuters that they had received these invitations, and some agreed to attend. The Belarusian Embassy in Paris described the outreach as “standard diplomatic practice,” but the context makes it anything but routine. Since 2020, Belarus has been largely unwelcome in the EU due to its violent suppression of opposition protests following a disputed presidential election and its continued support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, especially after allowing Russian troops to launch attacks on Ukraine from Belarusian soil in 2022.
Ambrazevich’s meetings, which included contacts with representatives of several European states, were reportedly aimed at showing that Belarus is not entirely beholden to the Kremlin. As one European diplomat told Reuters, “They say they don’t want an escalation of the conflict and are eager to highlight differences from Russia.” But skepticism remains high in many European capitals, with another diplomat noting that President Alexander Lukashenko’s government resumed arrests of opposition activists almost immediately after a high-profile release of political prisoners.
This diplomatic campaign comes on the heels of a significant warming of relations between Minsk and Washington. In September 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump personally called Lukashenko, referring to him as a “highly respected leader.” Shortly after, a U.S. special envoy visited Belarus, leading to the release of more than 50 political prisoners, including 14 foreign nationals. In response, Washington eased sanctions on the Belarusian state-owned airline Belavia, which had faced restrictions after the notorious 2021 incident in which a Ryanair flight was forced to land in Minsk so authorities could arrest a dissident journalist.
The release of the prisoners and the lifting of sanctions were widely seen as gestures meant to open a new chapter in U.S.-Belarus relations. Trump’s envoy, Keith Kellogg, later told Reuters that the goal of this renewed dialogue was to “ensure lines of communication” with President Putin, as part of a broader effort to end the war in Ukraine. On October 14, Lukashenko himself said he was ready to sign a “grand deal” with the United States, provided Minsk’s interests were respected, and he offered to participate in efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine.
Despite these overtures, many in the West remain wary of Lukashenko’s intentions. Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has been particularly vocal, urging the EU not to lift its sanctions “until Belarus undergoes systemic and irreversible democratic changes.” She and other critics point out that while Lukashenko has made some conciliatory gestures, his government continues to crack down on dissent and maintains close military and economic ties with Russia.
Indeed, Belarus and Russia held joint military exercises as recently as September 2025, underscoring the close relationship between the two regimes. Lukashenko has also announced plans to build a nuclear power plant in eastern Belarus, a project that could potentially supply electricity to Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine—a move that has raised alarm bells in both Kyiv and Western capitals.
Former Belarusian diplomat Pavel Slunkin told Reuters that Lukashenko’s main objective is to remove restrictions on the export of potash fertilizer, which is Belarus’s top source of hard currency, and to restore access to the Baltic Sea ports. However, he added, “Lithuania and Latvia are not ready to lift sanctions on Lukashenko’s regime anytime soon.” The reluctance of these neighboring EU states reflects a broader skepticism that extends across much of the continent.
The context for this diplomatic push is a Belarus that has been battered by years of sanctions and international condemnation. The country’s leadership became a pariah in the West after the 2020 election, which was widely regarded as fraudulent, and the subsequent brutal crackdown on opposition figures and protesters. These actions led to waves of political and economic sanctions from both the EU and the United States. The situation worsened when Belarus supported Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, not only by providing political backing but by allowing its territory to be used as a staging ground for Russian military operations.
Now, with the war in Ukraine grinding on and the geopolitical landscape in flux, Belarus appears to be testing whether a new approach might yield some relief from its diplomatic and economic isolation. The recent prisoner releases and the willingness to engage in talks with both the EU and the U.S. are clear signals that Minsk is seeking a way out of its current predicament. However, the West’s response has so far been cautious, with most governments insisting that any lifting of sanctions must be tied to substantial and verifiable democratic reforms.
Notably, the outreach to Europe has been accompanied by careful messaging from Minsk. Belarusian officials have emphasized their desire to avoid further escalation of the conflict in Ukraine and have sought to differentiate themselves from Russia, even as they continue to cooperate closely with Moscow in other areas. This balancing act—trying to present Belarus as a potential peace broker while maintaining its alliance with the Kremlin—reflects the complex and often contradictory pressures facing Lukashenko’s regime.
For now, it remains to be seen whether Belarus’s overtures will result in any meaningful change in its relationship with the West. The skepticism of European capitals, the ongoing repression of opposition at home, and the deep ties to Russia all stand as formidable obstacles. Yet, the very fact that Minsk is reaching out at all suggests that the costs of isolation are starting to bite—and that the leadership is looking for a way, however tentative, to re-enter the international fold.
As the diplomatic chess game continues, all eyes are on Minsk and Brussels to see whether this latest round of outreach will lead to genuine dialogue or simply another round of geopolitical maneuvering. For Belarus, the stakes—political, economic, and strategic—could hardly be higher.
