Overview
- Belarus pardoned 250 people after a Minsk meeting with envoy John Coale, the largest single release to date that pushed U.S.-linked freed detainees past 500.
- Coale says blunt, person-to-person dealmaking built trust with Alexander Lukashenko and allowed some freed detainees to return home rather than go into exile.
- As part of the agreements, Coale said the U.S. would lift sanctions on two state banks and the finance ministry and remove major potash producers from a sanctions list.
- Coale confirmed talks now explore restoring normal ties, including reopening embassies and even a possible White House visit for Lukashenko.
- Human-rights groups report hundreds remain in custody in Belarus and warn that trading sanctions relief for releases could bolster an entrenched autocrat.