Trump Envoy Meets Lukashenko in Minsk, Discusses Frozen Belarusian Funds
U.S. special envoy John Coale met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk to discuss the release of Belarusian funds frozen in American banks and the ongoing release of political prisoners. Coale pledged to resolve the issue with Citibank.
U.S. special envoy to Belarus John Coale met with President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on Tuesday, in talks focused on Belarusian funds frozen in American banks. According to Belarusian state media, the meeting lasted about three hours.
Coale told Lukashenko that the White House is pushing for the release of the funds and promised to resolve the matter, stating that Citibank must let the money go. Last week, Lukashenko said up to $44 million belonging to Belarus was stuck at Citibank, which he claimed represented payment for shipments of Belarusian potash, an ingredient used in fertilizers. In a state media interview, he demanded the funds be returned, calling the situation a disgrace for the United States.
Lukashenko told the envoy his government remains willing to discuss any issue with Washington, provided both sides strictly honor their agreements. Belarus has been pushing for the lifting of U.S. sanctions since Donald Trump returned to office last year. Many of the sanctions were imposed under the Biden administration in response to the crackdown following Belarus's 2020 election and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Since Coale began talks with Minsk last year, the U.S. has negotiated the release of hundreds of Belarusian political prisoners in exchange for sanctions relief. Tuesday's visit was Coale's first trip to Belarus in six months. During the meeting, he told Lukashenko that Trump fully supports the ongoing effort.
Before arriving in Minsk, the envoy met Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys in Vilnius and freed Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski in Washington to discuss regional security and continuing prisoner releases. Rights groups estimate more than 900 political prisoners remain jailed in Belarus, while UN experts said Tuesday that systematic human rights violations persist throughout the country's judicial system. Last week, Lukashenko expressed frustration that talks with the U.S. were stuck on the prisoner-release issue.