U.S. President Joe Biden met with Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Wednesday morning and expressed support for democracy and human rights in the former Soviet republic.
"I was honored to meet with @Tsihanouskaya at the White House this morning. The United States stands with the people of Belarus in their quest for democracy and universal human rights," Biden wrote in a Twitter post.
Tsikhanouskaya has pressed for stronger action from the United States against President Alexander Lukashenko's government during a visit to the country. She met earlier with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the top U.S. diplomat, and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
Last week, she asked U.S. officials to impose sanctions on companies in her country's potash, oil, wood and steel sectors.
"Thank you, @POTUS, for a powerful sign of solidarity with millions of fearless Belarusians who are peacefully fighting for their freedom. Today, Belarus is on the frontline of the battle between democracy and autocracy. The world stands with us. Belarus will be a success story," Tsikhanouskaya wrote in her own Twitter post.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Sandra Maler)
