Overview
- Alexander Lukashenko said Belarus is nearing a major agreement with the United States, flagged a possible meeting with President Donald Trump, and confirmed talks on reopening the U.S. embassy in Minsk.
- Washington eased potash measures by authorizing trade with Belaruskali, the Belarusian Potash Company, and Agrorozkvit LLC in a deal that saw 123 detainees freed, including Ales Bialiatski, Maria Kolesnikova, and Viktar Babaryka.
- U.S. envoy John Coale said Lukashenko offered "very useful" advice on Vladimir Putin for ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
- Lukashenko emphasized that any rapprochement will not come at Russia’s expense and said Belarus received Russia’s Oreshnik hypersonic missile.
- The European Union is moving in the opposite direction with renewed and expanded sanctions criteria citing security risks such as balloon incursions over Lithuania, while rights groups say roughly 1,200 political prisoners remain in Belarus.