Belarus has released 52 prisoners, including foreign nationals, following a visit to Minsk by a United States delegation led by presidential envoy John Coale.
In parallel, Washington announced limited sanctions relief for Belavia, the Belarusian flag carrier. The developments were accompanied by a personal letter from President Donald Trump to Alexander Lukashenko, conveyed in person by Coale.
State media in Minsk published extracts from the letter in which Trump conveyed good wishes and said he and his wife would pray for Lukashenko’s health. Coale told Lukashenko the letter was signed “Donald”, describing it as a personal gesture. The White House has not released the full text.
The prisoner releases—one of the largest since Belarus’s 2020 crackdown—follow earlier engagement between Trump and Lukashenko, including an August phone call in which the U.S. president urged further releases. Rights groups say more than 1,000 people remain behind bars on politically motivated charges. Among those named on Thursday was veteran opposition figure Mikalai Statkevich, who reportedly refused deportation and attempted to return to Belarus.
Sanctions relief for Belavia appears narrowly framed. U.S. officials and media reports said the move would allow the airline to obtain maintenance and spare parts, notably for Western-made aircraft, while other measures remain in place. The Treasury’s Belarus sanctions programme continues to apply more broadly. European Union restrictions on Belarusian carriers—imposed after the 2021 diversion of a Ryanair flight—also remain, including bans on overflight of EU airspace and access to EU airports.
Belarus and the U.S. both signalled interest in further engagement. Coale said the United States intends to work towards normalising relations and has discussed steps such as re-establishing a full diplomatic presence in Minsk. Belarusian officials presented the prisoner releases as part of a wider opening. No timetable has been announced for next steps.
Opposition and civil society figures voiced caution. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed releases while warning that easing restrictions on Belavia could create avenues for sanctions circumvention, potentially benefiting Russia’s aviation sector. U.S. and allied governments have sought to close such channels since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Washington’s position is that the Belavia step is limited and does not alter measures targeting Russia.
Aviation analysts note that Belavia’s operations have been substantially constrained since 2021, with the carrier cutting routes and aircraft amid the loss of leasing and maintenance support from Western suppliers. The scale of any recovery will depend on the durability of U.S. relief, the stance of EU member states on airspace access, and the airline’s ability to service its mixed fleet. Prior reporting highlighted attempts to source widebody aircraft via third countries; the sanctions landscape has complicated such efforts.
For Washington, the immediate emphasis has been on detainees. U.S. statements around the Minsk visit centred on securing releases and exploring humanitarian measures. There was no public U.S. announcement of political reform benchmarks tied to the Belavia step, though officials indicated further progress on prisoners would shape subsequent policy. Reuters reported that Trump had appealed directly to Lukashenko for releases in recent weeks.
Regional security concerns formed the backdrop. In recent days, NATO allies have reported drone incursions from Belarusian territory into Polish airspace, and Baltic states have adjusted airspace posture near the Belarus border. These incidents underscore the tension between encouraging practical de-escalatory steps and maintaining pressure over Belarus’s support for Russia’s war.
The specific identities of all 52 freed prisoners have not yet been fully confirmed by independent monitors. Media in several countries reported that the group included European Union citizens detained in Belarus. Rights organisations continue to track new arrests alongside releases, a pattern seen throughout 2024–2025. The net impact on the overall detainee population will depend on whether further releases follow and whether new detentions subside.
Next steps are likely to turn on whether Minsk proceeds with additional releases and whether any broader commitments emerge. The United States has signalled that it is prepared to calibrate measures in response to concrete actions. EU policy remains restrictive on aviation access and sectoral links. In the absence of announced political reforms or changes to Belarus’s security alignment with Russia, any wider normalisation with Western capitals is expected to be incremental.
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