Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stands with prisoners released from Belarus, at the US embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania, September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
VILNIUS (Reuters) -Belarusian prisoners released from jail on Thursday and exiled to Lithuania in a U.S.-brokered deal told Reuters they were confused over having to leave their home country, especially as many were almost due to be freed anyway.
Belarus freed 52 prisoners including an EU employee after an appeal from U.S. President Donald Trump, as Washington and Minsk consider a rapprochement that many European leaders have viewed with scepticism.
