Minsk 14:55

Łukašenka holding meeting with officials to assess progress on agreements with US

(Belarusian leader's press office)

October 22, Pozirk. Alaksandar Łukašenka has urged Washington to follow its agreements with Minsk just as Belarus follows its agreements with the United States.

He made the remarks at his meeting with Prime Minister Alaksandar Turčyn, Prosecutor General Dźmitryj Hara, Committee for State Security (KGB) Chairman Ivan Tertel, Foreign Minister Maksim Ryžankoŭ and Valiancin Rybakoŭ, Belarus’ permanent representative to the UN, reported the Belarusian leader’s press office.

The officials discussed progress in negotiations with the United States involving the release of political prisoners in return for sanctions relief, with Rybakoŭ presenting an update.

Łukašenka pointed out that Minsk and Washington have been discussing “many other issues” apart from prisoners and sanctions, mentioning in particular matters related to embassies and Belarus’ relations with the European Union, “including what concerns the United States of America.”

He said he appreciated that US President Donald Trump and his staff paid attention to contacts with Belarus.

Since the summer of 2025, the United States has been gradually lifting its sanctions against Alaksandar Łukašenka’s regime as talks between Washington and Minsk have resulted in the release of hundreds of Belarusian political prisoners.

After Łukašenka freed 250 political prisoners on March 19, 2026, Washington dropped sanctions against Belarusian Potash Company, Biełaruśkalij and its Kyiv-based subsidiary Agrorozkvit.

However, the European Union and Lithuania are maintaining a ban on the transit of Belarusian potash, imposed in early 2022.

Washington drops sanctions against Biełaruśkalij CEO

October 22, Pozirk. The United States has lifted its sanctions ont Andrej Rybakoŭ (Andrei Rybakou), director general of Belarusian potash giant Biełaruśkalij, according to the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Rybakoŭ was removed from OFAC’s Specially …
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