US seeks negotiations with Belarus on release of more than 100 political prisoners – Reuters

Representatives of US President Donald Trump's administration are holding talks with Minsk about the possible release of at least 100 political prisoners in Belarus in the near future.

Reuters stated this in an article, Ukrinform reports.

According to the sources,  U.S. officials want to secure the release of well over 100 prisoners in a single deal. It was not clear which prisoners could be freed and precisely when such a release might happen.

The White House declined to comment, and the Belarusian embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

It also remains unclear what exactly the United States might offer Belarus's self-proclaimed president, Lukashenko, in exchange for an agreement on releasing the detainees.

One of the measures that US officials have informally discussed this year is easing US sanctions on Belarus's potash sector. Belarus is one of the world's main suppliers of fertilizer ingredients.

Some U.S. officials have told Reuters that the Trump administration's engagement with Belarus is part of a long-term, broader strategy to pull Minsk out of Moscow's geopolitical orbit, if only marginally.

As Ukrinform reported, in June Belarus released 14 political prisoners with the assistance of the United States and Lithuania. In September, another 52 political prisoners were released in Belarus, including six Lithuanian citizens.

In August 2023, the United States imposed sanctions on eight individuals in Belarus and five organizations (including the airline Belavia), and also blocked the use of one aircraft due to the Lukashenko regime's continued repression and suppression of civil freedoms.

However, in autumn of this year it became known that the US had lifted sanctions on the airline Belavia, as stated by US presidential representative John Cole during a meeting with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

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