"People's fate is a commodity" - former political prisoner on Lukashenko's negotiations with the West. The release of political prisoners in Belarus must be part of a sustainable solution, not a one‑off episode, said journalist and former political prisoner Alexander Fedota, who was released during negotiations with the United States, on Dozhd. In the past he signed a letter with such an appeal. Fedota believes that Lukashenko expected to resolve the sanctions issue through dialogue with Washington, but "it doesn't work that way", since the European Union makes decisions independently. Therefore, Lukashenko, he suggested, will look for a "second negotiator" – in the form of the European Union. The journalist is convinced that the EU should not join the "political prisoners in exchange for lifting sanctions" model proposed by John Coul. In his view, the EU should remain the "bad cop" and not demand the release of individuals, but an end to repression. Otherwise, in response to the release of 20–25 people, 50 new political prisoners will appear. More details on the Dozhd website.