President Donald Trump praised Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko on Truth Social ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Lukashenko previously permitted Putin to station forces on Belarusian soil, with troops and military equipment moving across the border into Ukraine. Russia also launched missiles at Ukrainian targets from Belarus, The Guardian reported in 2022.

Trump in his post disclosed that he spoke with Lukashenko Friday ahead of his meeting with Putin in Alaska.

“I had a wonderful talk with the highly respected President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko. The purpose of the call was to thank him for the release of 16 prisoners,” Trump stated.

Trump further indicated the call included diplomatic discussions regarding future prisoner releases.

“We are also discussing the release of 1,300 additional prisoners,” he noted, adding that the conversation went well. Trump said he and Lukashenko “discussed many topics, including President Putin’s visit to Alaska.”

Further hinting at another meeting, he said, “I look forward to meeting President Lukashenko in the future.”

Belarus has provided Russia with a significant strategic advantage in its war against Ukraine and has been a key factor in raising tensions with NATO neighbors such as Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, according to a Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) report.

Belarus largely emerged as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, which was a part of the Soviet Union from 1920 until 1991, according to the report.

During the Cold War, Belarus hosted Soviet nuclear weapons and military bases, and its leaders — along with those in Russia and Ukraine — played key roles in the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, the report noted.

True diplomacy is built on dialogue, respect, and the understanding that every human life has value.
President Lukashenko’s conversation with President Trump reflected these principles, looking beyond immediate issues toward a future where nations engage as equals, seeking peace… pic.twitter.com/KSJT6Pnpoe

— Belarus MFA 🇧🇾 (@BelarusMFA) August 15, 2025

In the years that followed, Belarus and Russia signed agreements aimed at economic, political and military integration, culminating in the symbolic 1999 Union State treaty, while mostly cooperating in the military sphere, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus report.

Despite this, tensions have persisted over Belarus’s sovereignty, dependence on Russian energy and disputes over territories, according to the CFR report.