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 Bialiatski was among those released after meeting in Minsk with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Belarus, John Cole.
The United States has agreed to lift sanctions on potassium, an important export from Belarus, a close ally of Russia, and a key ingredient in fertilizers.
“As relations between the two countries normalize, more and more sanctions will be lifted,” Kohl said.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is not recognized as President of the European Union (EU).
Kolesnikova has been in prison since 2020 and has spent most of her time in isolation.
Her sister Tatiana Khomich, who campaigned tirelessly for her release, was soon able to speak to her via video call and confirmed the news to the BBC.
“She’s free. It’s wonderful. It’s wonderful,” said Komich, who said she was looking forward to hugging her sister.
Some of those released are expected to leave Lithuania’s capital Vilnius soon. A crowd is gathering outside the U.S. Embassy.
Khomich said the first thing Kolesnikova said in her speech was, “Thank you to the U.S. administration, to President Trump (and) to the government of Belarus as well, for leading and talking and making these negotiations happen.”
The deal is a major achievement for Lukashenko and the authoritarian leader will also welcome how the Americans ended his international isolation.
Like the EU, the United States has not recognized Lukashenko as president due to unfair elections five years ago, which led to mass street protests being brutally suppressed by police.
At the time, hundreds of people, including Kolesnikova, were arrested, and severe political repression continued.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Western sanctions were strengthened, with troops entering through Belarus and missiles being launched from its territory.
Coale was quoted by Belarusian state media as saying sanctions on potash would be lifted immediately.
The U.S. envoy also said he spoke with Lukashenko about how Ukraine and Minsk could help in his talks with Putin.
The attempt to engage with Minsk is part of a major shift in U.S. policy that puts it at great odds with Europe, whose approach is sanctions and isolation.
