Trump nominates Belarus envoy John Coale for hostage affairs post

US President Donald Trump announced Sunday the nomination of his current Belarus envoy John Coale as the new 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," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

Trump highlighted Coale's track record in Eastern Europe, saying the envoy had "already secured the return of over 65 Americans and allied citizens from Belarus over the last year" and helped negotiate the release of more than 800 political prisoners across the region.

The US president said Coale "will work tirelessly in this new post to bring American citizens home."

Trump also praised Adam Boehler, his special envoy for hostage response, for helping bring 196 hostages home. Boehler will transition to a new role and "continue to assist in other matters, as senior advisor," Trump said.

Established in 2015 through an executive order, the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs coordinates diplomatic strategies across the federal government to secure the recovery of US nationals held hostage by non-state actors or wrongfully detained by foreign governments.