By Mark Trevelyan Dec 12 (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held talks on Friday with U.S. envoy John Coale, tasked by President Donald Trump with negotiating the release of political prisoners in Belarus,

OSLO, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Exiled Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya ‌accused ​President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday of using ‌political prisoners as bargaining chips and said the U.S. needs to use both incentives and ​pressure as it negotiates with the veteran authoritarian leader.

In a significant diplomatic agreement, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko released 123 prisoners, including Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski, in exchange for the lifting of U.S. sanctions on potash.

More than 100 of the criminals pardoned by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko were sent to Ukraine in exchange for wounded Russians and captured Belarusians. This was announced on December 13 by the press secretary of the Belarusian president Natalia Eismont.

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko is holding hundreds of Lithuanian trucks at the border and demanding political concessions in exchange for their release, sparking warnings from opposition figures that neighboring countries like Poland may be next.

The fact that Alexander Lukashenko tries to rest in the middle of the week was noticed by journalists four years ago. Then they studied his schedule and came to the conclusion that Wednesday is the freest day of Lukashenko's working week. And on weekends, with rare exceptions, he also rests.

Kalesnikava, now 43, was a flautist who spent 12 years living in Germany before making what she called an unlikely and unexpected entry into politics.