Sergei Tikhanovsky, the husband of Belarus' opposition leader, has called on US President Donald Trump to "just say the word" and ask for all political prisoners in Belarus to be released.

The opposition activist was freed unexpectedly on Saturday and reunited with his wife in Lithuania. Thirteen other political prisoners were also released and forced into exile.

The move came as US special envoy Keith Kellogg travelled to Minsk, the Belarusian capital, and met the country's authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

It was the first high-profile American visit in many years.

In an emotional press conference the day after his release, Tikhanovsky broke down in tears as he described his five years in solitary confinement and called for the freedom of more than 1,000 political prisoners still behind bars.