The United States Government will lift the sanctions that currently weigh against the Belarusian potash ore exportsone of the country’s main sources of income, as announced by the North American special envoy, John Coale, in a gesture towards the Belarusian president and great ally of Russia, Alexander Lukashenko.
In comments to the official Belarusian news agency Belta, Coale has indicated that the decision taken by US President Donald Trump will have immediate nature.
“I think it’s a good step. We are going to lift them right now,” Coale said after meeting with Lukashenko, before confirming that if negotiations to secure the release of political prisoners in Belarus continue favorably, Trump will withdraw other sanctions.
“As relations between both countries normalize, more and more sanctions will be lifted,” Coale added in this regard.
For his part, the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has responded to Trump’s gesture and has declared the pardon for 123 political prisoners, including the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Ales Bialiatski.
Bialiatski is the founder of the NGO Viasna Human Rights Center, specialized in monitoring the human rights situation in Belarus, and it was this organization that confirmed the release on its website. Besides, The former vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights has also been released.umans (FIDH), Valiantsin Stefanovich, and lawyer Uladzimir Labkovich.
The Leninsky Court in Minskcondemned the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2023 Belarusian to ten years in prison for smuggling and belonging to an organized group.
“In accordance with the agreements reached with the president of the United States, Donald Trump, and at his request, in connection with the lifting of illegal sanctions against the Belarusian potash industry imposed by the administration of the former US president [Joe] Biden (…) the head of state has decided to pardon 123 citizens of various countries convicted under the laws of the Republic of Belarus for various crimes, including espionage, terrorism and extremist activities,” the Belarusian Presidency announced.
The announcement of the lifting of sanctions was made by Trump’s envoy to the country, John Coale, in a gesture towards the great ally of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, which unlocks one of the country’s largest sources of income.
