US President Donald Trump has nominated his envoy for Belarus, John Coale, as the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs.

“I am pleased to announce that John Coale, Esq., a great lawyer and my incredibly successful Envoy for Belarus, will be my new Nominee for Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, with the rank of Ambassador,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that over the past year, he “secured the return of over 65 Americans and Allied Citizens from Belarus” and “negotiated the release of more than 800 political prisoners from multiple countries in Eastern Europe.”