Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Sunday that an American citizen, Anastassia Nuhfer, has been released from detention in Belarus. Nuhfer had been detained in December 2024 and was granted a consular visit by the US about three weeks ago, despite strained relations between the US government and the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.
The release of Nuhfer comes at a crucial time as Lukashenko, who is facing challenges to his power after a disputed election, may be seeking to improve relations with the US. During the first Trump administration, there were efforts to establish diplomatic ties with Belarus, but these were halted following Lukashenko's controversial re-election and subsequent crackdown on dissent in August 2020.
