U.S. Diplomat Uses Crude Language, Vodka Strategy to Free Belarus Prisoners

President Trump's Belarus envoy John Coale revealed he used vulgar language and navigated vodka toasts during diplomatic meetings to build rapport with the authoritarian leader. His unconventional approach has helped secure the release of hundreds of political prisoners from the Eastern European nation.

WASHINGTON — A top U.S. diplomat working to secure the freedom of political prisoners in Belarus has disclosed his unconventional approach to building trust with the country’s authoritarian president, including using crude language and strategically handling alcohol during negotiations.

John Coale, President Trump’s special representative to Belarus, shared details of his diplomatic tactics during a recent speaking engagement at Arizona State University’s McCain Institute. His mission focuses on securing freedom for hundreds of imprisoned political dissidents in the Eastern European nation.

According to Coale, State Department officials briefed him before his initial encounter with President Alexander Lukashenko, telling him the leader enjoys casual banter and suggested he match that energy.

“About a half-hour, 45 minutes into it, I am trying to get the feel of who this guy is and how to communicate,” Coale explained during his university appearance. “He starts complaining about the Europeans — Europeans this, Europeans that. So — and this is kind of crude and I’m sorry for the language — but I said to him, ‘Yeah, they’re a bunch of p———.’ So, I had him in my hand from then on.”

The Maryland lawyer shared this story as an example of how he’s worked to establish rapport with Lukashenko, who maintains close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin but has shown interest in improving Western relationships since Trump took office.

When questioned about his language choice on Wednesday, Coale stood by his methods. “If I have to use locker room language to get 500 political prisoners released, I will do it every time,” he stated to The Associated Press.

This type of crude language echoes a 2016 controversy involving Trump himself, when leaked recordings of similar vulgar comments created significant political fallout during his first presidential campaign, prompting a rare public apology from Trump who dismissed it as private “locker room talk.”

Coale isn’t the first American diplomat to use undiplomatic language regarding Europeans. Victoria Nuland, formerly the leading U.S. official for European affairs, issued an apology in 2014 after private conversations containing harsh language about European Ukraine policy became public. Similarly, in 2003, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher drew criticism for dismissively calling Iraq War opponents France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg “chocolate makers.”

Trump has frequently clashed with European allies over various issues including trade tariffs, NATO funding obligations, and his interest in acquiring Greenland.

The attorney, who is married to television journalist Greta Van Susteren, received his appointment from Trump in March 2025 as deputy special envoy to Ukraine. By June, he had successfully negotiated the freedom of 14 political detainees from Belarus. Trump later promoted him to lead envoy for Belarus.

Speaking at the McCain Institute conference focused on hostage situations and wrongful detentions, Coale argued that his straightforward diplomatic style is producing positive results with Lukashenko.

For over thirty years, Lukashenko has maintained authoritarian control over Belarus’s 9.5 million citizens, leading to repeated Western sanctions for both domestic oppression and permitting Russia to use Belarusian territory for its 2022 Ukraine invasion.

Since Trump’s return to office, Belarus has freed hundreds of political detainees in exchange for sanctions relief, as Lukashenko pursues improved U.S. relations under the Republican administration.

Coale described his initial meeting with Lukashenko extending into a two-hour meal where he discreetly poured vodka shots onto the floor to avoid intoxication while his host wasn’t watching. He joked about limiting himself to just two drinks while some accompanying State Department officials consumed much more.

“All these toasts started — I can’t get hammered,” Coale recalled. “Of course, there were a couple State Department guys who drank all eight toasts and they were hammered.”

Lukashenko faced his biggest challenge following the 2020 presidential election, when massive street protests erupted over what demonstrators considered fraudulent results. These became the largest public demonstrations since Belarus gained independence after the Soviet Union’s 1991 collapse.

The government’s harsh response included detaining tens of thousands of protesters, many suffering police beatings. Key opposition leaders either fled abroad or faced imprisonment.

Five years later, Lukashenko secured a seventh term in what opposition groups condemned as a sham election.

Recently, Belarus has released several high-profile political prisoners in efforts to curry Western favor, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski and prominent opposition figures Siarhei Tsikhanouski, Viktar Babaryka and Maria Kolesnikova.

Just last week, Lukashenko authorized the freedom of 250 political prisoners through an agreement with Washington that resulted in lifting certain U.S. sanctions, representing his latest move toward Western reconciliation. This marked the country’s largest single release of political detainees.

Following his meeting with Coale in Minsk, Lukashenko granted these pardons. Coale praised the releases as a “significant humanitarian milestone” demonstrating Trump’s “commitment to direct, hard-nosed diplomacy.”

The McCain Institute presentation occurred just before this major prisoner release. At that time, Coale predicted the Trump administration would achieve the freedom of all political prisoners before year’s end.

“I’d be willing to bet on that,” Coale declared, mentioning plans for additional Belarus visits he expects will result in freeing “a couple hundred” more political prisoners. “I think this type of diplomacy that Donald Trump has pushed forward does work.”