US to Lift Sanctions on 2 Belarus Firms Amid Prisoner Deal

The US will lift sanctions on two Belarusian companies after Minsk agreed to release 25 prisoners under an interim deal announced on Wednesday, Sept. 16.According to Reuters, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Belarus, John Coale, announced the agreement following talks with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“We agreed to an interim deal, and as a show of goodwill, Belarus will release 25 people,” Coale told reporters.In exchange, Washington will remove sanctions on two Belarusian companies – Lakokraska and Bellesbumprom.Coale said the two sides would continue negotiations aimed at resolving outstanding issues, securing further prisoner releases, and removing additional US restrictions.“We are not finished!” he later wrote on X, adding that Washington was working to secure the release of more people “in the very near future.”Sanctions relief for two Belarusian companiesLakokraska manufactures paints and industrial coatings. US sanctions against the company have been in place since 2008.Bellesbumprom is a state-owned industrial concern overseeing companies in Belarus’s forestry, woodworking, pulp, and paper industries. Washington imposed restrictions on the organization in 2023.The announcement marks another step in the gradual easing of relations between Washington and Minsk, which has faced years of Western sanctions over political repression and its support for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Other Topics of Interest Oleshky Starving: The Human Cost of Territorial Concessions Anyone who has been paying attention knows what horrors come with Russian occupation. So giving territory to Russia is inviting more death and degradation. During his meeting with Coale on Tuesday, Lukashenko also sought help recovering approximately $44 million in Belarusian assets frozen at Citibank.Coale said Washington had contacted the bank and was developing a mechanism to release the funds, Kyiv Post reported.Previous prisoner dealThe latest group of 25 prisoners is considerably smaller than the 250 people released following Coale’s previous visit to Minsk in March.Under that agreement, Washington eased restrictions on Belarus’s financial sector and agreed to remove sanctions on major potash companies, including Belaruskali, Belarusian Potash Company, and Agrorozkvit.The March release was described as a humanitarian milestone, although rights groups warned that Belarusian authorities continued arresting government opponents. Activists identified 490 new political prisoners in the country during 2025.The banned Belarusian human rights organization Viasna says more than 900 political prisoners remain behind bars, including human rights activists, journalists, lawyers, and opposition figures.Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, denies that the country holds political prisoners and rejects allegations that his government is replacing freed detainees with newly arrested opponents.Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed efforts to secure prisoner releases but warned that political repression and Minsk’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine continue.She said negotiations should focus on emptying Belarusian prisons rather than rehabilitating Lukashenko’s government internationally. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.