U.S. lifts some sanctions on Belarus, plans to reopen embassy

U.S. Presidential Envoy John Coale on Thursday said the United States was lifting sanctions on Belarusian airline Belavia, according to the Belarusian government. President Donald Trump made the decision, and the State, Commerce, and Treasury departments had already adopted it, Coale said. The United States wanted to normalize relations with Belarus, and the lifted sanctions were just the beginning, he said. Coale also said negotiations to reopen the U.S. Embassy in Minsk were underway.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also told Coale that his country wants increased economic cooperation with the United States. Belarus could help the United States with interests in Russia, he said, according to the Belarusian government.

As part of the negotiations, Lukashenko on Thursday also freed 52 political prisoners of various nationalities, Reuters reported. The group, which included a journalist and a European Union employee, left for Lithuania with the U.S. delegation—though one person may have refused to cross the border, according to Reuters. Belarusian state-run outlet BelTA reported that Lukashenko cited humanitarian reasons for the release, including prisoners’ ages and health conditions. The Belarusian government described the freed prisoners as leaders and members of terrorist organizations, participants in mass riots, and extremist media members, according to BelTA.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on how Poland recently shot down Russian drones in its airspace.