Belarusian state-linked media say President Alexander Lukashenko held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on 15 August and invited Trump and his family to visit Minsk. The reports state that Trump accepted the invitation and the two leaders agreed to stay in contact. According to the same accounts, the conversation covered the war in Ukraine, regional security issues and other international flashpoints. Any visit to Minsk would come ahead of Trump’s planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, adding an unexpected Belarusian dimension to the U.S. president’s diplomatic itinerary. The White House has not confirmed the call or the acceptance of Lukashenko’s invitation. The U.S. government in 2020 declined to recognise Lukashenko as Belarus’s legitimate leader after an election Washington said was rigged, and human-rights groups accuse his government of jailing more than 1,300 political opponents.