The United States lifted sanctions on Belarusian potash exports December 13 in exchange for the release of 123 political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and prominent opposition figures, marking the largest prisoner release since the Trump administration opened dialogue with the authoritarian regime.
US Special Envoy to Belarus John Coale announced the decision following two days of talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
“Per the instructions of President Trump, we, the United States, will be lifting sanctions on potash,” Coale said. “This is a very good step by the US for Belarus.”
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Flashback: US-Belarus Thaw Could Ease Sanctions for Prisoner Release
Ukraine’s military intelligence service HUR reported that 114 prisoners went to Ukraine while eight went to Lithuania. The group includes opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova and former presidential candidate Viktor Babaryka, both of whom authorities jailed after the disputed 2020 election.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that authorities released five Ukrainian nationals and credited cooperation between US and Ukrainian intelligence services. Belarus also freed citizens from Australia, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Latvia and Japan.
Washington imposed the sanctions in August 2021 on state-owned producer Belaruskali after Belarus cracked down on mass protests, compelling the country to reroute its potash exports through Russian channels. Potash is a key component in fertilizers, and Belarus ranked as one of the world’s largest producers before sanctions reduced output by approximately 50% from 2021 levels.
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In contrast, and just four days earlier, Trump threatened “very severe tariffs” on Canadian potash imports, despite Canada being the world’s largest producer and supplying about 90% of US potash needs. Canada is a democratic ally, while Belarus allowed Russian forces to use its territory to launch attacks on Ukraine in 2022.
Belarus faces sanctions from multiple Western countries over political repression by Lukashenko’s government, which has ruled since 1994. Western nations expanded the restrictions after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, given Belarus’s close alliance with Moscow.
Coale said Washington and Minsk will continue discussions on sanctions and expressed hope that the two countries could eventually lift additional measures as relations normalize.
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The Norwegian Nobel Committee expressed “profound relief and heartfelt joy” following Bialiatski’s release and called on Belarus to free all remaining political prisoners.
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