{
  "id": 7791471,
  "title": "US to Lift Sanctions on 2 Belarus Firms Amid Prisoner Deal",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/us-to-lift-sanctions-on-2-belarus-firms-amid-prisoner-deal",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-16T13:04:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Kyiv Post",
    "slug": "kyiv-post",
    "url": "https://www.kyivpost.com/post/84661"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United States is set to lift sanctions on two Belarusian companies, Lakokraska and Bellesbumprom, following an interim deal announced on September 16th. According to a report by Reuters, US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Belarus, John Coale, disclosed the agreement during talks with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk. Coale stated that Belarus would release 25 prisoners as a goodwill gesture, while the US would remove sanctions on the two companies. Coale added that negotiations would continue to address outstanding issues, secure further prisoner releases, and eliminate additional US restrictions. He later expressed that Washington is still working to release more individuals \"in the very near future.\" Lakokraska is a company that manufactures paints and industrial coatings, and its sanctions have been in place since 2008. Bellesbumprom is a state-owned industrial concern that oversees forestry, woodworking, pulp, and paper industries in Belarus; it was put under restrictions in 2023. This development comes as the US and Belarus strive to ease relations that have been strained due to political repression and support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. During Coale's meeting with Lukashenko, the Belarusian leader also requested assistance in recovering around $44 million in frozen Belarusian assets at Citibank. Coale stated that the US is developing a mechanism to enable the release of these funds. The latest prisoner release is smaller than the 250 people freed during Coale's previous visit to Minsk in March. Under that agreement, the US eased restrictions on Belarus's financial sector and lifted sanctions on major potash companies, including Belaruskali, Belarusian Potash Company, and Agrorozkvit. In March, the release was hailed as a humanitarian milestone, although rights groups cautioned that Belarusian authorities continued to arrest government critics. According to Belarusian human rights organization Viasna, over 900 political prisoners remain incarcerated, including human rights activists, journalists, lawyers, and opposition figures. Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, denies that the country holds political prisoners and dismisses allegations that his government swaps freed detainees for newly arrested opponents. Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya applauded the prisoner release efforts but cautioned that political repression and Belarus's backing of Russia's war in Ukraine persist. She argued that negotiations should prioritize emptying Belarusian prisons instead of rehabilitating Lukashenko's government internationally.",
  "summary": "Belarus has agreed to release 25 prisoners under an interim deal with Washington, according to US envoy John Coale on Wednesday. In exchange, the US will lift sanctions on Belarusian companies Lakokraska and Bellesbumprom, while negotiations continue over further releases and sanctions relief.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}