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Belarus has released 123 prisoners, including prominent opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova, after the United States agreed to lift sanctions on the eastern European country.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialjadsky was also released after talks in Minsk with John Cole, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Belarus.
The United States agreed to lift sanctions on potash, a key ingredient in fertilizers and a key export for Russian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“As relations between the two countries normalize, more and more sanctions will be lifted,” Cole said.
The EU has not yet recognized Lukashenko as president.
Kolesnikova has been in jail since 2020, mostly in isolation.
Her sister Tatiana, who worked tirelessly for her release, spoke to her via video call shortly after and confirmed the news to the BBC.
A group of people is expected to be released soon in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. Crowds gathered outside the U.S. Embassy.
The deal is a major achievement for Lukashenko, who will also welcome an end to the U.S.’s international isolation.
Like the European Union, the United States does not recognize Lukashenko as president after an unfair election five years ago that led to massive street protests that were brutally suppressed by police.
At that time, hundreds of people were arrested, including Kolesnikova, and a harsh political crackdown continued.
In 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Its troops entered Ukraine via Belarus and launched missiles from its territory. Western sanctions were subsequently tightened.
Belarusian state media quoted Kohl as saying that sanctions on potash would be lifted immediately,
The U.S. envoy also said he discussed Ukraine with Lukashenko and how Minsk could help in talks with Putin.
The attempt to engage Minsk is part of a major shift in U.S. policy that puts it deeply at odds with the European approach of sanctions and isolation.
