Kuchynski to Kavaleuski: To deny Tsikhanouskaya's merit that the issue of political prisoners is on the international agenda is to ignore the obvious

“It seems to me that these attacks have long crossed the line and finally turned into ad hominem. And this no longer looks like an attempt to understand the essence or to debate, but rather a personal attack. It is especially regrettable that this comes from a person with a diplomatic past. Therefore, in my opinion, engaging in such discussions is senseless: they have become too personal,” Kuchynski said.

— “I told Valery about this repeatedly—both publicly and in private conversations after his departure. Even if views or tactics differ, it’s not a reason to descend into personal attacks.”

Kuchynski notes that he clearly understands how the current humanitarian process is structured – what rules exist, what tactics and approaches are used, and where the red lines are. “Over the past 9 months, I have spent a significant amount of time both in the White House (7 separate meetings) and in the State Department, not to mention the communication and work that is conducted non-publicly and remotely.”

“Is it Tsikhanouskaya’s merit that the issue of Belarusian political prisoners is on the international agenda—including the American one? To deny this is to ignore the obvious. Many countries have political prisoners, but it is Belarus that has received such a level of attention. This is the result of five years of systematic work—with leaders, governments, parliaments, and media. To downplay this role is, at minimum, incorrect,” Kuchynski says.

He adds that negotiations began during the Biden administration, and Kavaleuski was no longer part of the team at that time.

“Therefore, his assessments—both of the negotiations themselves and the internal sentiments—appear, to put it mildly, uninformed. There was no 'despair' or 'confusion,' because there were no surprises for us in this process—there was concrete work, both public and non-public.”

Kuchynski adds: “We never claimed to ‘control,’ ‘dictate,’ or ‘fully influence’ the American side or other partners—be it the USA, Lithuania, or Spain. We are in constant communication, we consult, and we convey our positions and proposals. And what happens after these consultations and conversations are already the decisions of our partners.”

Kavaleuski stated that the office is appropriating the results of someone else's work.

“These accusations have nothing to do with reality. Such an intention never existed,” says Kuchynski. “Release is the result of complex, multi-level work. And here I want to once again specifically emphasize the role of the United States and personally the Special Envoy for Belarus, John Kohle, as well as Chris Smith and Andy Baker. John Kohle’s work is a splendid example of highly professional diplomacy. It is precisely thanks to his efforts that this humanitarian track gained concrete embodiment.”

Kuchynski says he has not seen Kavaleuski participate in assisting released political prisoners when they were being taken out of the country.

“I was present at all six releases over the past 14 months. After each release, assistance was organized and provided through the SDC, CCU, human rights organizations, and our international partners. Kavaleuski was not present at any of these releases. He did not participate in logistics or in the processes of assistance with legalization.

Nor have I ever heard from foreign partners that he advocated for countries to join the International Humanitarian Fund, established by Tsikhanouskaya together with Norway. Today, 11 countries are already participating in this fund, and nearly 2 million euros in aid have been contributed, and essentially, it significantly provides critical support for rebuilding the lives of released political prisoners outside of Belarus.

At the same time, I admit that Kavaleuski might have personally made donations—and if so, then, of course, thank you for that. It is also possible that people close to him called for support and participated in fundraising. Because the people I see with him—Nasta [Kastsihova], Volya [Harbunova], Tanya [Khomich]—I know and respect them greatly. And I have no doubt that they sought opportunities to help political prisoners.”

Kuchynski added that he would no longer like to return to these discussions and expressed a personal position here, not that of the entire Office.

“With all due respect to everyone's activities, let agencies and their agents—be it an advertising, tourist, or Euro-Atlantic agency—do their work, and we will do ours. As long as it genuinely benefits a democratic, sovereign, and independent Belarus.

And let everyone be judged by their actions. As President Kennedy said, “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.” We are ready to be accountable for both victories and defeats.”

• 40
• 3
• 0
• 4
• 1
• 0
• 0
• 0