Overview
- U.S. special envoy John Coale announced the potash step after two days of talks in Minsk, describing the meetings as very productive and aimed at normalizing relations.
- Belarusian state outlets said the pardons were carried out under agreements with President Donald Trump and linked to the start of lifting other sanctions.
- Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava and ex-presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka were among those freed, with opposition advisers saying the released are now outside Belarus.
- Human rights groups and the exiled opposition warned that new arrests continue and that more than 1,000 political prisoners remain, adding that European Union potash restrictions still have greater impact than U.S. measures.
- Coale said discussions also covered the war in Ukraine and Venezuela, noting that Lukashenko’s relationship with Vladimir Putin could provide a channel for advice on the conflict.