Washington D.C. – Reuters, Sept. 15, 2026
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko won a promise from the United States on Tuesday to get U.S. banks to hand back tens of millions of dollars in frozen Belarusian assets, as Washington resumed efforts to persuade him to free hundreds of prisoners.
U.S. presidential envoy John Coale made the commitment at talks with Lukashenko in Minsk. It was not immediately clear if the veteran leader, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, had responded by agreeing to more prisoner releases.
Human rights group Viasna, which is banned in Belarus, says the former Soviet state still holds more than 900 political prisoners, even after Coale negotiated the release of hundreds since the middle of last year.
Among the most frequent charges against them are “extremist” activity, conspiring to seize power, incitement to hatred, or insulting the president.
