Vilnius, Lithuania — The United States will lift sanctions on Belarusian potash in the latest sign of a thaw between Washington and the isolated authoritarian regime.
This was announced by John Cole, the US special envoy to Belarus, after meeting with the country’s authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on Friday and Saturday.
Minsk, a close ally of Russia, has been facing Western isolation and sanctions for years. Lukashenko He ruled the nation 9.5 million people with an iron fist for more than three decades, and the country has been Which have been imposed repeatedly by Western countries Whether for its suppression of human rights or for allowing Moscow to use its territory to invade Ukraine in 2022.
Speaking to reporters, Cole described the two-day talks as “very productive,” Belarus’ state news agency Belta reported on Saturday.
The American envoy said that normalizing relations between Washington and Minsk is “our goal.”
“We are lifting sanctions, we are releasing prisoners,” he said, according to Belta. “We are constantly talking to each other.” He also said that the relationship between the two countries is moving from “small steps to more confident steps” with increased dialogue.
The last time US officials met with Lukashenko in September 2025, Washington announced the easing of some sanctions against Belarus while Mink released more than 50 political prisoners in Lithuania. Overall, Belarus has released more than 430 political prisoners since July 2024, in what was widely seen as an attempt at rapprochement with the West.
Pelta said the latest round’s discussions also touched on Venezuela, as well as the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Cole told reporters that Lukashenko had given “good advice” on how to handle the conflict, saying Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin had been “long-time friends” and had the “necessary level of relationship to discuss such issues.”
“It is normal for President Putin to accept some advice but not others,” Cole said.