White House Tells Banks to Unsanction Belarus, Trump’s Envoy Says

The White House has reportedly asked banks to begin lifting sanctions on Belarus, according to Belarusian state media. John Coale, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Belarus, reportedly conveyed the message to Minsk during an ongoing visit to the country, according to Belarusian state news agency BelTA.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “We have contacted the bank with a request to unfreeze these funds. We are currently developing a mechanism for doing so. As soon as we receive a specific response from the bank, we will notify you immediately,” Coale reportedly told Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. “I fully support your demands. In fact, you are absolutely right. These funds must be unfrozen and returned,” he reportedly said. According to BelTA, Lukashenko said Citibank in the US held about $44 million, and the Belarusian leader named its release as a precondition for further negotiations. Minsk, ruled by Lukashenko since 1994, has been under decades of Western sanctions – the US Department of State has announced over a dozen sanctions on Minsk since 2006 for human rights violations and later for aiding Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the independent Moscow Times, “Belarus has sought to have U.S. sanctions lifted since Donald Trump returned to the White House last year,” after the previous “administration had introduced many of the sanctions in response to the 2020 election crackdown in Belarus,” and Russia’s escalation in Ukraine. Other Topics of Interest Russian Frigate Fires Flares at Danish Military Helicopter in International Waters A Russian ship fired flares at a Danish military surveillance helicopter off international waters near the island of Gedser on Denmark’s southern coast on Monday. Coale’s visit and latest statement followed the White House’s recent attempt to thaw ties with Minsk. Trump named Coale special envoy to Belarus in November 2025, and Belarusian outlet Nasha Niva said Coale secured the release of more than 400 political prisoners during his previous visits, including 250 released after his March visit. In exchange, the White House agreed to ease US sanctions on ​the Belarusian financial sector – including ‌Belinvestbank, one of the country’s largest state-owned banks, with Trump also floating an in-person meeting with Lukashenko. But according to BelTA, Lukashenko also told Cole that Belarus technically has no political prisoners during the current visit despite their releases. “John, one more thing. There’s been a lot of talk before our meeting here about releasing, as you call them, political prisoners,” Lukashenko was quoted as saying. “Although I once again urge you not to be misled. There are no political prisoners in Belarus, because there’s no such article in our legislation,” he continued, claiming it was all Western propaganda. In 2023, the United Nations special rapporteur on Belarus called the human rights situation in the country “catastrophic,” and said that Minsk has “amended an already restrictive legislation aimed at dismantling civic freedoms, leading to a surge in politically motivated prosecutions and sentencing.” In 2025, human rights activists also identified 490 new political prisoners in Belarus. 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.