Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced on Friday that the United States had proposed a “major deal” to his country, which would include not only the release of political prisoners but also a possible resumption of U.S. embassy operations in Minsk and discussions on nuclear materials.
Lukashenko stated that U.S. President Donald Trump had offered a major agreement and a meeting to discuss its details.
On Thursday, the Belarusian president ordered the release of 250 political prisoners as part of a deal with Washington, which led to the lifting of some U.S. sanctions, following a meeting in Minsk with Trump’s special envoy for Belarus, John Coale.
Coale told reporters that the United States would lift sanctions on two state-owned banks and on major Belarusian producers of plant nutrients.
Lukashenko has ruled Belarus, a country of 9.5 million people, with an iron grip for more than three decades, and the country has been repeatedly sanctioned by Western nations for human rights violations as well as for allowing Moscow to use its territory during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
