Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, Belarus’s autocratic president and Russia’s closest ally, has taken steps to soften his country’s isolation from the West.

US Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler said in a CNN interview that one American was among the three detainees. He said that Belarus had released an additional detainee last week, who is now in Texas. Boehler said that the US secured a "deal", but that Belarus received nothing in exchange. He added that Trump was "deeply involved" in negotiations.

Andrey Kuznechyk, a journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was one of those released from a Belarusian prison after more than three years. The released American has not been named publicly.