The United States is lifting sanctions on Belarusian potash, widely used in agriculture to nourish various crops, according to a statement by US President Donald Trump's envoy - John Cole. This was reported by the Belarusian state news agency - BelTA, after Cole and President Alexander Lukashenko held two days of talks in Minsk, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
„In accordance with President Trump's instructions, the United States is lifting sanctions on (Belarusian) potash. I think this is a very good step by the United States for Belarus. We are lifting them immediately,” Cole said, quoted on the BelTA website.
“With the normalization of relations between the two countries, more sanctions will be lifted,” the US special envoy added.
Cole also expressed hope that in the future Washington and Minsk will reach a point where all sanctions will be lifted.
The US representative described the talks with Lukashenko as extremely productive, with the two discussing a wide range of issues, including “the war between Ukraine and Russia, as well as Venezuela.”
“We talked about the future. About how to continue on the path of rapprochement between the US and Belarus in order to normalize relations. That is our goal,” Cole said. Cole also noted the close relationship between Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the context of the war in Ukraine. “Your president has a long history with President Putin and has the opportunity to advise him. That is very helpful in this situation. They are long-standing friends and have the necessary relationship to discuss these issues,” the US envoy said. Cole, who was appointed last month as Trump’s special envoy to Belarus, has also been tasked by the president with negotiating the release of more than 1,000 political prisoners in the former Soviet republic, which is a close ally of Russia, Reuters reported.