US Biden Meets Belarusian Opposition Leader Tahinopskaya During Visit to US

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] U.S. President Joe Biden met with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who is visiting the United States.

According to TASS on the 29th, President Biden tweeted the day before, "This morning, I met with Tsikhanouskaya at the White House," adding, "The United States supports the people of Belarus who demand democracy and universal human rights." President Biden also posted a photo of himself conversing with Tsikhanouskaya.

Photo posted by U.S. President Joe Biden on Twitter. He is meeting with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. (Photo by President Joe Biden)

Tsikhanouskaya is the wife of Sergei Tikhanovsky, a well-known opposition blogger. Last August, when her husband was preparing to run for president but was arrested on charges of disturbing public order, she ran for president herself. In the election, Tsikhanouskaya ranked second in support after President Lukashenko. Subsequently, facing threats to her safety, she fled to Lithuania and has been leading the opposition resistance movement.

The West recognizes Tsikhanouskaya as the leader of the Belarusian opposition and supports her. Invited by the U.S. Department of State, Tsikhanouskaya visited Washington D.C. on the 18th and met with Victoria Nuland, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, at the State Department on the 19th to discuss solutions to the ongoing political turmoil in Belarus following last August's presidential election.

During the talks, Tsikhanouskaya reportedly requested support for independent Belarusian media and civil society, as well as increased economic pressure on the Alexander Lukashenko regime. She also met with Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor at the White House, and members of Congress to seek further support.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.