The U.S. special envoy for Belarus said Wednesday that the country’s authorities have agreed to release 25 prisoners as part of a deal that includes the lifting of U.S. sanctions against some Belarusian companies.
“25 prisoners are free today! John Coale, President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Belarus, made the statement a day after meeting Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who pushed for the remaining U.S. sanctions against his country to be lifted. He also thanked Lukashenko and authorities in Lithuania, a European Union member that neighbors Belarus, for their support.
Coale said on X, adding that “President Trump’s commitment to direct diplomacy delivers results.
As part of a deal in March that Washington helped broker, Lukashenko ordered the release of 250 political prisoners, while the U.S. agreed to lift sanctions on two Belarusian state banks and the country’s Finance Ministry, and to remove the top Belarusian potash producers from a sanctions list. Belarusian authorities haven’t announced any details of the prisoners’ release yet. “We are not finished!
“We will continue to improve U.S.-Belarus relations and are working to secure the release of more people in the very near future,” Coale said. Speaking before the meeting with Coale, Lukashenko said that he’s open for discussing “a deal big or small. Lukashenko also said that he would like to discuss the prospects for lifting more U.S. sanctions and exporting Belarusian fertilizers to the U.S. Belarusian opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said Tuesday she was deeply grateful to Trump, Coale and the U.S. administration for “making political prisoners a priority,” adding that “their engagement has already brought real results.”
