Belarus forces US to close public diplomacy, USAID offices
By YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Belarus has forced the closure of the U.S. Embassy’s Public Diplomacy and USAID offices in a move that comes amid the tensions with the U.S. and its allies over Belarusian authorities’ crackdown on protests. Samantha Power, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s administrator, said Friday that the Belarusian authorities aim to “severely disrupt U.S. development assistance and public diplomacy in Belarus.” Opposition leaders praised the U.S. agency for helping the people of Belarus, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Belarus’ relations with the West have become increasingly strained after Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko was handed a sixth term in an August 2020 presidential vote that the opposition and the West have rejected as rigged.