US ambassador might return to Minsk in several weeks

Karen Stewart, US Ambassador to Belarus, plans to return to Minsk in two-three weeks, reports  Charter'97. "This is just a temporary departure from Minsk for consultations", she told reporters in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Belarus recalled its ambassador in Washington, Mikhail Khvostov, on March 7 for consultations after the US introduced fresh sanctions against the Belarusian petrochemical monopoly, Belneftekhim.

The Belarus government had also issued "an insistent recommendation" to the US ambassador in Minsk to leave Belarus for consultations.