Is it useful to talk to a dictator? Belarusian opposition have doubts

Following her December 2025 release from a Belarusian prison through US-negotiated efforts, prominent opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava has sparked controversy by advocating for dialogue with dictator Lukashenka and reduced EU sanctions. Kalesnikava, who became a key leader during the 2020 Belarus protests after her campaign leader Viktor Babariko was detained, spent years imprisoned under harsh conditions after tearing up her passport to resist deportation. Her current stance—arguing that engagement and sanctions relief could secure humanitarian concessions like prisoner releases—directly contradicts the established position of exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanovskaya and EU policy, which maintains strict isolation of the regime.