US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Eastern European Affairs Christopher Smith will leave his post in the near future. This diplomat oversees the Belarusian direction at the State Department, has flown to Minsk several times for talks with Alexander Lukashenka, and participated in the release of political prisoners.
Information about Christopher Smith's imminent departure from the post of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Eastern European Affairs was confirmed to "Zerkalo" by two independent sources familiar with the situation.
According to one of them, the diplomat will continue his professional career in Moldova, but probably not within the structures of the State Department.
Christopher Smith is a career high-ranking officer of the US diplomatic service. He has held the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Eastern European Affairs since July 2023. Smith speaks Russian and Turkish. In 2022-2023, he was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Kyiv.
In the Belarusian direction, Smith became one of the key American diplomats. In December 2023, he stated that it was "very sad to watch how [Lukashenka] disposes of Belarus for his own selfish purposes," and emphasized that the US is ready to support democratic forces in holding Lukashenka accountable for the transfer of Ukrainian children.
"Zerkalo" asked Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's diplomatic advisor Dzianis Kuchynski whether Belarusian democratic forces were aware of Smith's possible departure from his post.
The interlocutor noted that the American diplomat has been working in this position for three years, so a rotation would be natural and consistent with normal personnel practice. At the same time, Kuchynski emphasized that he could neither confirm nor deny "Zerkalo"'s information.
— What I can say with certainty is that wherever Mr. Smith continues his service, Belarus will remain in his heart. He is one of the most dedicated, experienced, and knowledgeable representatives of the US government working on Belarus and the region as a whole, and we are sincerely grateful to him for his dedication and support throughout all these years, — said Tsikhanouskaya's advisor.
Who is Chris Smith and what did he do in the Belarusian direction?
With the intensification of dialogue between Washington and Minsk in 2025, Chris Smith became one of the main negotiators.
In February 2025, he participated in an operation to evacuate two political prisoners and one US citizen from Belarus. The diplomat was part of a group that flew to Minsk, where they met with Alexander Lukashenka and KGB Chairman Ivan Tertel.
Commenting on this release, Smith stated that it was "a unilateral gesture on the part of the Lukashenka authorities" and that he "received nothing in return."
Lukashenka himself also publicly mentioned the American diplomat. In March 2026, speaking about negotiations with the US, he noted that "Smith played the main role and probably still does."
In Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office, Christopher Smith was called "the most consistent partner in the US." According to Tsikhanouskaya's advisor Dzianis Kuchynski, they had eight personal meetings with the American diplomat in Vilnius and Washington in 2024-2025.
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