In a move to improve U.S. relations, Belarus released 123 prisoners early Saturday. This brings the total up to 156 since November.
Among the newly released prisoners was a Nobel laureate and a key opposition figure.
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Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova were freed following talks with John Coale, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Belarus. In return, the U.S. agreed to lift sanctions on a key ingredient in fertilizer. Potash is an important export for the Russian ally.
“We have many issues. The world is changing very quickly, new problems are emerging that you and I must discuss. And perhaps, resolve some matters,” Lukashenko told the press. According to the Belarusian Telegraph Agency, Coale added the relationship between the two countries was moving from “baby steps to more confident steps.”
“We talked about the future, about how to move forward on a path of rapprochement between the United States and Belarus to normalize relations,” he said. “That’s our goal.”
Many of the 123 freed on Saturday had been jailed for political activism. They are citizens of Australia, Britain, Lithuania, Poland and the United States.
Belarus history with Russia
Belarus is wedged between Russian and Ukraine. The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, is not recognized by the European Union.
Lukashenko also reportedly has a long history with President Vladimir Putin. However, Coale reported that Lukashenko consistently attempts to involve himself in peace negotiations. The Trump administration said they have used Belarus on a number of occasions to get messaging to Putin.
“They are long standing friends and have the necessary level of relationship to discuss such issues,” he told reporters on Saturday. “Naturally, President Putin may accept some advice and not others. This is a way to help the process.”
