Belarus has released 123 prisoners, including prominent opposition figures, following an agreement with the United States to lift key economic sanctions.
The move comes after talks in Minsk between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and John Coale, the U.S. special envoy for Belarus.
Among those freed are Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova, both detained for years amid a sweeping crackdown on dissent.
The release represents the largest single freeing of prisoners by the Belarusian authorities since diplomatic engagement with Washington resumed earlier this year.
The United States agreed to lift sanctions on potash, a crucial export for Belarus and a core component in fertiliser production.
Coale confirmed that the sanctions relief followed two days of negotiations in Minsk and signaled the possibility of further measures being eased.
“As relations between the two countries normalise, more and more sanctions will be lifted.”
Western sanctions on Belarus had intensified after the disputed 2020 election and were expanded following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which involved Belarusian territory.
Neither the United States nor the European Union has recognised Lukashenko as Belarus’s legitimate president since that vote.
U.S. officials have described the engagement with Minsk as a shift in policy that contrasts with Europe’s continued emphasis on isolation and pressure.
According to Ukrainian authorities, 114 of the released prisoners were transferred to Ukraine before being set to travel onward to Poland or Lithuania after receiving medical assistance.
Belarusian opposition figures said the decision to send prisoners to Ukraine was unexpected and made by Lukashenko personally.
Kolesnikova, who had been imprisoned since 2020 and held in isolation for long periods, was able to speak with her sister shortly after her release.
“She is free, she looks fine, she looks good,” her sister said.
Analysts and opposition leaders have described the deal as a significant diplomatic gain for Lukashenko, easing his international isolation.
At the same time, exiled opposition representatives have argued that sanctions pressure played a decisive role in securing the prisoners’ freedom and should remain a tool for broader political change.