Deputy Secretary of State Steve Biegun met with Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya at the outset of a trip that could see the United States take a significant role in a political eruption that threatens one of Russia’s closest allies.

“The very fact of the meeting itself sends [a] powerful message to Belarusian people: They are not alone,” a Baltic official said after Biegun and Tikhanovskaya spoke in Lithuania.

Recommended Stories

Belarus dictator admits he may have kept power ‘for a bit too long’ as protests continue

UK coordinating with US to sanction Belarus

Russia could ‘absorb’ Belarus and threaten NATO