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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a meeting with John Coale, a representative of U.S. President Donald Trump, in Minsk, Belarus on December 12, 2025. Photo: President of the Republic of Belarus/Handout via Reuters
The United States will lift sanctions on Belarusian potash in the latest sign of a thaw between Washington and the isolated autocracy.
John Coale, the U.S. Special Envoy for Belarus, met the country’s authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko for talks in the Belarusian capital of Minsk on Friday (December 12, 2025) and Saturday (December 13).
A close ally of Russia, Minsk has faced Western isolation and sanctions for years. Mr. Lukashenko has ruled the nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist for more than three decades, and the country has been repeatedly sanctioned by Western countries both for its crackdown on human rights and for allowing Moscow to use its territory in the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Speaking with journalists, Mr. Coale described two-day talks as “very productive,” Belarus’ state news agency Belta reported Saturday.
The meetings focused on steps toward normalising relations between Washington and Minsk, including lifting sanctions and releasing political prisoners in Belarus, Mr. Coale said. He also said that the relationship between the two countries was moving from “baby steps to more confident steps” as they increased dialogue.
The discussions also touched on Venezuela, as well as Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Belta said.
Coale told reporters that Lukashenko had given “good advice” on how to address the conflict, saying that Mr. Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin were “longtime friends” with “the necessary level of relationship to discuss such issues.” “Naturally, President Putin may accept some advice and not others,” Mr. Coale said.
Published – December 13, 2025 06:56 pm IST
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U.S. says it will lift some trade sanctions on Russia’s ally Belarus
