U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun speaks at a news briefing with South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young after their meeting at the foreign ministry in Seoul, South Korea, July 08, 2020. Chung Sung-Jun/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Reuters: Exclusive: No. 2 U.S. diplomat to visit Russia, Lithuania to discuss Belarus
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number two U.S. diplomat will visit Russia and Lithuania soon for talks on Belarus, two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, as Washington seeks a peaceful resolution to that country’s election crisis that averts Russian intervention.
Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun’s planned mission signals a greater U.S. role in trying to settle the strife that erupted when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko brutally cracked down on peaceful protesters rejecting his claim of a landslide Aug. 9 election win.
Asked about Biegun’s planned trip, a State Department spokesman said “there is no travel to announce at this time.”
One source, a former senior U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Biegun was expected to leave in the coming days for Moscow and the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, where Belarusian opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took refuge after Lukashenko launched his crackdown.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: I am not optimistic on these US efforts. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has no interest in stepping down.
