Daniel Wolfram
The United States seems willing to unfreeze millions of dollars in Belarusian funds – if the president is willing to release political prisoners.
American officials are working to unfreeze millions of dollars in Belarusian funds locked in US bank accounts.
Special envoy John Coale met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on Tuesday to resolve the financial standoff.
The dispute centers on $44 million stuck at Citibank, which Lukashenko claims comes from fertilizer sales.
Cash is frozen
Lukashenko demanded the funds back during a recent interview with state media.
“Return the money! This is a disgrace for the United States. Then we will agree on more serious things,” state media quoted Lukashenko as saying in an interview, according to The Moscow Times.
Coale promised to fix the problem during their three-hour meeting. The envoy also noted that Donald Trump “fully supports everything we’re doing.”
Prisoners for cash
Financial disputes are only part of the equation. The United States has used sanctions relief to negotiate the release of hundreds of Belarusian political prisoners over the past year.
Lukashenko signaled a willingness to keep talking if both sides honor their commitments. He stressed that his government remains open to discussions, provided “we both strictly abide by our agreements.”
Still, friction remains high. Lukashenko expressed frustration that prisoner releases continue to delay broader talks.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, take them,” Lukashenko yelled at reporters last week, signaling that the frozen funds are the primary concern.
Tension behind closed doors
Before arriving, Coale also met with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys and freed Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski to address regional security.
Belarus has pushed for sanctions relief since Trump returned to office, thinking they would have a friend in Washington. The Biden administration originally imposed those penalties following the 2020 election and Minsk’s support for the war in Ukraine.
Civil rights groups report that more than 900 political prisoners are still detained. On Tuesday, UN experts warned that “systematic” human rights violations continue throughout the country’s judicial system.
