WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 29, 2026) — The McCain Institute at Arizona State University (ASU) today announced Maria Kalesnikava as its 2026-2027 Kissinger Fellow. A former political prisoner and courageous advocate for democracy and freedom in Belarus, Kalesnikava will hold the Kissinger Fellowship for one year. The Kissinger Fellowship supports a senior leader in foreign policy and national security, enabling real-world change and honoring Dr. Henry Kissinger’s lifetime of service.
A professional flutist, Kalesnikava rose to political prominence during Belarus’s 2020 presidential election. Initially leading opposition candidate Viktar Babaryka’s presidential campaign, she consolidated support behind Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya after the Lukashenko regime refused Babaryka’s registration as a candidate and detained him. Following Lukashenko’s claim of victory in the fraudulent election, she assumed a leadership role in the Coordination Council, a new organization dedicated to a democratic transfer of power in Belarus.
Kalesnikava was kidnapped in September 2020, and the authorities attempted to deport her by force to Ukraine. When she famously resisted her deportation by tearing her passport to shreds, she was arrested and later sentenced to 11 years in a penal colony. Kalesnikava was held in harsh conditions, including time in solitary confinement, until her release in a December 2025 U.S.-brokered deal. Since her release, Kalesnikava has continued her advocacy for a democratic future for Belarus and for strengthening the country’s relations with Europe, the European Union, and the United States.
As the McCain Institute’s Kissinger Fellow, Kalesnikava will work to put Belarus higher on the European and U.S. policy agenda and help shape a coordinated transatlantic approach — one that combines pressure with pragmatic engagement, keeps channels open where they can deliver results, and advances regional security and human rights together rather than treating them as competing goals.
She will use the Kissinger Fellowship to create the first comprehensive, interview-based policy framework for transatlantic collaboration on Belarus, seizing on the rare opening for progress and engaging senior thought leaders and decision-makers in both Berlin, where she is currently based, and Washington, D.C.
“Maria Kalesnikava blends the strategic acumen of Henry Kissinger with John McCain’s courage in the face of adversity and commitment to service over self,” said McCain Institute Executive Director Dr. Evelyn Farkas. “Her optimism and leadership on strategic engagement despite her suffering at the hands of the Lukashenko regime is inspiring. We are honored to support her timely work on this critical issue.”
“The United States and Europe must coordinate pressure and engagement to shield Belarus and Belarusians from today’s Russia’s autocratic influence,” said Maria Kalesnikava. “Acting in unity now gives us the opportunity to foster a vision of freedom and democratic values for a new generation of Belarusians.”
The McCain Institute’s John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative (FPPI) advocated for Kalesnikava’s release as one of its inaugural cases. Read more about FPPI here.
View Maria Kalesnikava’s full bio here.
About the Kissinger Fellowship
The McCain Institute Kissinger Fellowship supports a senior leader in foreign policy and national security, enabling real-world change and honoring Dr. Henry A. Kissinger’s lifetime of service. Previous McCain Institute Kissinger Fellows include former Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop (2021) and former Japan minister of digital transformation Kono Taro who served as honorary Kissinger Fellow from 2023-2024.