US to lift sanctions on Belarusian potash - Trump envoy
Reuters
The United States is lifting sanctions on Belarusian potash, President Donald Trump's envoy John Coale announced on Saturday, following two days of talks in Minsk with President Alexander Lukashenko.
Coale, who has been tasked by Trump with negotiating the release of more than 1,000 political prisoners, described it as a good move for Belarus but did not say what Lukashenko had agreed to do in return, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Belarus, a close ally of Russia, is a major producer of potash, a key component in fertiliser.
"Per the instructions of President Trump, we, the United States, will be lifting sanctions on potash," Coale was heard saying in video footage published by the Telegram channel of Lukashenko's presidential administration.
The U.S. and the European Union imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Belarus after Minsk launched a violent crackdown on protesters following a disputed election in 2020, jailing nearly all opponents of Lukashenko who did not flee abroad.
Sanctions were tightened after Lukashenko allowed Belarus to serve as a staging ground for Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Similar news
