The United States’ senators Jeanne Shakheen, Chris Murphy and Rob Portman met with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Vilnius and invited her to Washington to speak in the Senate, the Belarusian ex-presidential candidate’s Telegram-channel said on June 1.
“The senators invited Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to visit Washington and speak in the U.S. Senate committee on foreign relations in June. Tikhanovskaya noted the importance of U.S. President Joe Biden’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggested that Belarusian democratic forces prepare a position in the run-up to the meeting,” the statement said.
At the meeting, which took place at the Vilnius airport, Tsikhanouskaya thanked the senators for passing the Belarus Democracy Act, which involves support for independent media and civil society. She discussed attacks on the independent Belarusian media outlets Hrodna.life, Tut.by, and Belsat, and independent journalists, proposed support for Radio Liberty’s Belarusian-language service and the launch of the Belarusian version of the Voice of America.
“Senator Shakheen stressed that on the Belarus issue the Republican and Democratic parties are united and will support Belarusians. Rob Portman said that the time of statements has passed and now is the time for decisive action, so the U.S. is ready for sectoral sanctions to stop lawlessness and the regime’s arbitrariness,” Tsikhanouskaya’s office said.
