Lukashenko presses US envoy Coale in Minsk over sanctions and frozen assets
Belarus's Lukashenko met US envoy John Coale in Minsk to seek sanctions relief and the release of assets he says are held at Citibank.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met with a United States envoy in Minsk on Tuesday, using the talks to press for the lifting of the remaining American sanctions on his country and for help in unblocking Belarusian funds he said were held up at Citibank.
Speaking alongside John Coale, the US special envoy for Belarus, Lukashenko said the two sides had "reached quite a few agreements related to our economic ties." He called on Washington to assist in freeing assets he described as stuck at the US bank.
Coale said the American side had asked why the money had not been released despite a request for its full release. "When we get that, the answer, then we will come back to make a mechanism to release the money or do whatever is necessary to get that released," he said.
The meeting also touched on the question of detainees. Lukashenko rejected characterisations of people held in Belarus as political prisoners, saying no such category exists in the country's legislation. He dismissed as "absolutely untrue" claims that more people are being detained on extremism charges than are being freed, and accused opponents abroad of promoting that narrative in the West.
Since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House, Lukashenko has released hundreds of prisoners in a series of US-mediated arrangements that have also seen some American sanctions eased. Tuesday's talks appeared aimed at building on that track, with Minsk seeking further relief and Washington pursuing additional releases.