U.S. military officials observed the joint Russian-Belarusian war games, known as Zapad-2025, with Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin telling them they could observe “anything of interest,” Reuters reports. The presence of the Americans at a training ground in Belarus was presented as a surprise by the country’s defense ministry, which noted that representatives from 23 countries were present, including two other NATO members: Turkey and Hungary.
The ministry released video showing two uniformed U.S. officers thanking Khrenin for the invitation and shaking his hand. “We will show you everything you are interested in. Everything you wish. You can go there, see and talk to the people,” the minister told the Americans, who declined to speak with journalists.
The presence of the U.S. officers is the latest signal of strengthening ties between Washington and Belarus, a close Russian ally that allowed Moscow to use its territory to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
The development follows a visit to Minsk last week by John Coale, an envoy for former President Trump, for talks with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Lukashenko agreed to release 52 prisoners, including journalists and political opponents.
In exchange, the U.S. granted the Belarusian national airline Belavia a sanctions easing, allowing it to receive assistance and purchase components for its Boeing fleet. Coale stated that Trump intends to reopen the U.S. embassy in Belarus in the near future, normalize relations, and reboot economic and trade ties.
© Copyright ANSA – All rights reserved