Belarusian authorities have released an imprisoned U.S. citizen, a Belarusian journalist for a U.S.-funded media outlet and an opposition supporter in an apparent attempt to repair ruptured ties with Washington.

Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, Belarus’s autocratic president and Russia’s closest ally, has taken steps to soften his country’s isolation from the West.

An American is one of three hostages released from Belarus, the White House has announced. The identity of the hostage has not been released as the person wishes to remain private, U.S. Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler said.

U.S. officials say Belarus has released three people, including an American and a journalist, who’d been detained for more than three years

Belarusian journalist Andrei Kuznechyk and an unnamed American citizen were among the three prisoners released in Belarus on Wednesday, according to officials. Kuznechyk, who U.S. officials had dubbed a political prisoner,