Lukashenko released 25 political prisoners after negotiations with the US. In return, Washington will lift sanctions on two Belarusian companies

Belarus has released 25 political prisoners in exchange for easing US sanctions. In return, the United States has agreed to lift sanctions on two Belarusian companies.

The US special envoy John Cole wrote about this on the social network X.

Cole clarified that work on the release of political prisoners will continue. The companies that are planned to be excluded from the US sanctions list are “Lakokraska” (a manufacturer of paints and industrial coatings) and “Bellesbumprom” (a state-owned industrial concern that unites enterprises in the forestry, pulp and paper, and woodworking industries).

The US sanctions against “Lakokraska” have been in effect since 2008, and against “Bellesbumprom” since 2023.

The Belarusian human rights group Viasna reported that relatives of some prisoners were notified that they could meet their loved ones in correctional colonies on the morning of September 16. However, there is currently no list of those released.

Cole met with Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on September 15. He promised the self-proclaimed president of Belarus to get tens of millions of dollars in frozen Belarusian assets from American banks.

• This is not the first round of negotiations between the US and Belarus. Efforts to release political prisoners have been ongoing since 2025. In particular, 250 people were released in March: 235 of the released remained in Belarus, 15 were deported from the country.
• On December 13, 2025, Alexander Lukashenko pardoned 123 prisoners of various nationalities. Most of them arrived in Ukraine.

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