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POZIRK+Łukašenka blames EU for sanctions, welcomes closer engagement with US
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Washington to lift 80 percent of sanctions if Minsk frees all dissidents – Coale
KGB chief Ivan Tertel (second from right) meets US delegation in Minsk on March 19, 2026
March 20, Pozirk. If Minsk releases all designated political prisoners by the end of 2026, the United States will lift 80 percent of its sanctions against Belarus, John Coale, US special envoy for Belarus, told Reuters.
These 80 percent of sanctions were introduced against Alaksandar Łukašenka’s regime following the 2020 political crisis and mass arrests for politically-motivated reasons, he noted. Coale stressed that the restrictions could be lifted if Minsk releases all imprisoned dissidents.
Washington and Minsk reached an informal agreement which should become official soon, he added.
One of the contentious issues in the talks over the past few months has been preserving the possibility for freed regime critics to remain in their home country, Coale said. The US side reportedly asked them to keep a low profile to allow Washington to continue efforts to secure the release of the remaining prisoners and they agreed.
Coale also noted that the issue of ongoing politically-motivated arrests was raised during the talks on March 19, adding that he hoped the US delegation made it clear to Łukašenka that this was unacceptable.
Yesterday, Minsk freed 250 regime critics, marking the largest release since its engagement with Washington started. Unlike previous pardons, which usually resulted in prisoners being forced to leave Belarus, 235 stayed in the country, while 15 were taken to Lithuania.
Those freed on March 19 include human rights defenders Marfa Rabkova, Nasta Łojka and Valancin Stefanovič; journalist Kaciaryna Bachvałava (Andrejeva), blogger Eduard Palčys, among others.
Following yesterday’s talks, Łukašenka’s press office reported that the US lifted sanctions on two Belarusian banks, Biełinvest and the Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus, and the Ministry of Finance of Belarus.
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