According to the Belarus Defense Ministry, two US military officers have been invited to the training ground for the 2025 Zapad-2025 joint exercise with Russia, which will take place from September 12, 2025.
The Belarus Defense Ministry also introduced the presence of US officers as a surprise: "Who would have thought that the morning of a Zapad-2025 training day would start like this?".
In a video released by the agency on Telegram, Belarus Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin told the two US officers that they could observe everything at a domestic training ground.
" anything is fine. You can go there, observe, talk to everyone, said Mr. Khrenin. Afterwards, the US officers shook hands and thanked the Secretary for the invitation.
In addition to the US, Belarus has previously invited many representatives from 23 other countries, including the two NATO member countries of Turkey and Hungary.
The presence of US military officers is the latest sign that relations are warming between Washington and Minsk after negotiations last week.
At the time, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko agreed to release 52 prisoners, including journalists and political opponents, during a meeting with US President Donald Trump's representative - Mr. John Coale - in the capital Minsk.
In return, the US has lifted some sanctions on Belarus' state-owned airline Belavia, allowing the airline to maintain and purchase components for its fleet, including Boeing.
According to Mr. Coale, President Trump also wants to soon reopen the US Embassy in Belarus, normalise relations and restore economic and trade cooperation.
Also at a meeting in Minsk last week, the US leader even sent a signed friendship letter to Lukashenko through Coale.
