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... The man known as Europe's last dictator may soon be coming in from the cold, as President Donald Trump helps him emerge from years of isolation.

Trump thanked Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko for his "cooperation and friendship" in a post on Truth Social earlier this month after a deal to release some political prisoners held by his regime, adding: "So nice!"

The U.S. president has also steadily eased sanctions on Belarus' state institutions and companies, intended to punish Vladimir Putin's closest geopolitical ally for allowing Russia to use Belarus as a staging ground for his invasion of Ukraine in 2022. ...