Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko greeted U.S. evangelist Franklin Graham on Friday, as Graham arrived in the tightly controlled country to hold what organizers said would be the largest evangelical Christian gathering in Belarus’ history, including a major event in Minsk.
During the meeting, Lukashenko asked Graham to convey warm greetings to President Donald Trump. Lukashenko also told Graham that he has “reliable friends and supporters in Belarus,” according to the Associated Press.
The visit is also taking place against a shifting backdrop in U.S.-Belarus relations. Since Trump returned to the White House, Lukashenko has released hundreds of political prisoners in deals described as part of U.S.-brokered negotiations that lifted some U.S. sanctions, as Belarus has sought to improve ties with the West.
Graham, who is president of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, was accompanied by Greta Van Susteren, the anchor for Newsmax TV. The trip also included John Coale, who is married to Trump’s special envoy for Belarus, according to the AP.
Lukashenko’s rule has lasted more than three decades, and Western countries have repeatedly sanctioned Belarus for what they describe as crackdowns on human rights and for allowing Moscow to use Belarusian territory in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Belarusian election dynamics that followed the 2020 vote also remain central to the repression narrative around the country: hundreds of thousands protested what they viewed as a rigged election, and an ensuing crackdown led to tens of thousands being detained and many reportedly beaten by police.
Graham’s upcoming event, set to take place at an indoor sports arena in Minsk, is expected to draw thousands, with organizers calling it the Festival of Hope. Belarusian authorities also permitted the gathering, which the AP said marks a shift after years of crackdown on clergy, including Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant religious figures who had been jailed, silenced or forced into exile for protesting the 2020 election.
In March, a deal brokered with Washington’s help led Lukashenko to order the release of 250 political prisoners, while the United States agreed to lift sanctions from two Belarusian state banks and the country’s Finance Ministry and to remove the top Belarusian potash producers from a sanctions list. In April, another deal included the release of prominent journalist Andrzej Poczobut in a swap with Poland that freed a total of 10 people, the AP reported.
Despite those releases, Belarus still has political prisoners, including journalists, according to the Viasna human rights center. The AP report said Viasna listed 845 political prisoners in total, including 22 journalists. Opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told the AP she voiced hope that Graham’s visit could help lead to the release of all political prisoners and an end to “the harsh political repressions in Belarus.”
Religious policy in Belarus remains closely monitored, the AP said. Belarus requires religious groups to follow state oversight, and a 2024 law required all religious organizations to reregister with authorities or face being outlawed if their loyalty to the state is in doubt. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has listed Belarus among countries with religious freedom violations, particularly citing restrictive legislation.
Natallia Vasilevich, coordinator of the Christian Vision monitoring group, said the visit was a “mega-important event” for evangelicals in Belarus but added that believers still face a repressive environment. Vasilevich said some believers view the visit as a miracle and a window of opportunity, while others view it as a risk that they will have to ignore repression and participate in something that makes the regime “looks nice.”