PUTIN'S PUPPETS
US lifts sanctions on Belarusian Belavia airline
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The United States has lifted sanctions on Belarus’s state-owned airline Belavia, US Presidential Representative John Cole announced during a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, BelTA reported on September 11.
"I want to state quite officially that we have lifted sanctions on Belavia. It is official. The decision was made by [US] President Donald Trump, who said: 'Do it immediately,'" Cole said.
Cole added that the decision had been approved and coordinated by all relevant US agencies, including the State Department, the Department of Commerce and the Department of the Treasury.
Lukashenko has been flirting with the Trump administration for several months, hoping to improve his relations with the West in order to get some sanctions relief as well as some leverage in his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Since aiding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Belarus has also been put under a heavy sanctions regime and Minsk has become entirely dependent on Moscow.
It could be that the decision to lift sanctions on Belavia is a direct result of Minsk warning Warsaw of the imminent Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace September 10, causing international outrage.
General Wiesław Kukuła, Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, said the advance warning was “helpful for us” but somewhat “surprising,” given Belarus’ support for Russia in the war in Ukraine, and tensions along the border with Poland.
“The Belarusians warned us that drones were heading towards us through their airspace,” the general said, adding that Poland accepted the tip-off and reciprocated by sharing information about objects flying towards Belarus.
“It was surprising to me that Belarus, which is really trying to escalate the situation on our land border, decided to cooperate in this way,” he told TVN24.
Prior to the drone warning, In June there was another gesture. The high profile political prisoner Sergey Tikhanovsky (Siarhei Tsikhanouskiy), husband of Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya), was released from prison following a US-brokered pardon after envoy Keith Kellogg met with Lukashenko in Minsk. The release marked the dramatic thawing in US-Belarus relations.
The United States imposed sanctions on the Belarusian airline Belavia on April 8, 2022. Although Belavia was singled out for having “helped incite and organise illegal border crossings through Belarus to the EU”, the sanctions stopped short of a general flight ban to prevent the airline crossing EU territory, which had been suggested.
Washington had imposed restrictions on Belavia on April 8, 2022, banning flights to Belarus or Russia by US-owned, controlled or operated aircrafts. In June that year, the US Department of Commerce further tightened sanctions on the airline, citing violations of export controls.
The measures prohibited companies worldwide from servicing, repairing or otherwise using American parts or equipment to maintain Belavia’s fleet.
The European Union introduced its own sanctions against Belavia in December 2021, accusing the carrier of facilitating illegal migration by transporting citizens of the Middle East and North Africa. Belavia rejected the accusations, stating it had no role in such activities.
In May 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union dismissed a lawsuit filed by Belavia, which sought to challenge the bloc’s restrictions.
"The decision was made by President Trump, who said: 'Do it immediately,'" Cole reiterated during his meeting with Lukashenko.
Trump and Lukoshenko's relationship has been warming. “It seems that months of cautious contact with Washington, measured concessions, and concerted messaging from Lukashenko eventually produced the desired result.”
When Donald Trump picked up the phone en route to his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15, his brief call with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko marked an unprecedented diplomatic moment. It was the first time in Lukashenko’s 31 years in power that a sitting US president had spoken to him—an event less significant to Trump’s agenda that day, but momentous in Minsk.
That Trump referred to Lukashenko as “highly respected President” on social media only added to the symbolism, given the West’s long-standing refusal to recognise him as the legitimate head of state following the violently disputed 2020 election. He also thanked Lukashenko for releasing 16 political prisoners—although he avoided using the word “political”—and said he hoped more would follow.
Lukashenko has offered to release 1,300 political prisoners, but only if they leave the country, as he seeks to improve ties with the Trump administration further, The Kyiv Independent reported on August 28.
The latest proposal comes after he released 14 political prisoners last month, including Sergey Tikhanovsky (Siarhei Tsikhanouskiy), the husband of Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya) who contested the 2020 presidential elections in his stead after he was arrested before the poll.Since the war in Ukraine broke out, instead of throwing US support behind Kyiv and offering it security guarantees, Trump has demanded the $350bn he claims the US has spent on the three year war in Ukraine, which some have labelled as reparations.
But others say that this dramatic volte-face is actually a clever change in US foreign policy. Trump is attempting a “reverse Nixon”. By cozying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is obviously very interested in doing deals with the US, he is attempting to “peel Russia off” from its “no limits” relationship with China.
Belarus has released another 52 prisoners following negotiations with the US , with President Alexander Lukashenko granting pardons on what state media described as humanitarian grounds, the BelTA news agency reported on September 11.
The prisoners have already left the country and are now in Lithuania, according to Belarusian reports, and include two German nationals and one Briton.
As bne IntelliNews reported, earlier in the day, the US lifted sanctions on the state-owned national airline Belavia in what appears to be a reward for Minsk’s early warning of a Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace on September 10.
BelTA said the group included 14 foreign nationals: two Germans, six Lithuanians, one French citizen, one Briton, two Latvians and two Poles.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda confirmed the releases in a statement on X. “The released people could now leave barbed wire, barred windows, and constant fear behind them,” he wrote.
Nausėda also thanked US President Donald Trump for his role in securing the outcome. “52 is a lot. A great many. Yet more than 1,000 political prisoners are still being held in Belarusian prisons, and we must not stop until they regain their freedom,” he added.
The release comes on the heels of the release of 16 prisoners, including Sergey Tikhanovsky (Siarhei Tsikhanouskiy), the husband of Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya) in June following a US-brokered pardon after envoy Keith Kellogg met with President Lukashenko in Minsk.
That deal led some analysts to ask if Lukashenko can capitalise on a thaw in relations with the US, which is clearly trying to split Lukashenko off from his dependence on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It appears is this effort is going well. US President Donald Trump called Lukashenko from Air Force One on his way to meet Putin for the Alaska summit on August 15 can called him a “great president” in remarks to the onboard US press corps travelling with him. Subsequently, Lukashenko offered to release all 1,300 political prisoners, but only if they leave the country, as he seeks to improve ties with the Trump administration further.
The Viasna Human Rights Centre said that among those freed was former presidential candidate Nikolai Statkevich. There was no confirmation of the release of prominent opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova, a leading figure in the opposition movement and Tikhanovskaya’s campaign maanger during the disputed August 2020 president elections.
Trump was in direct contact with Lukashenko over the latest release, according to BelTA. The pair last month discussed further releases after the freeing Tikhanovsky. On September 11, lawyer John Coale, acting as Trump’s envoy, travelled to Minsk to deliver a personal letter signed “Donald”.
“If Donald insists that he’s ready to take all these released prisoners, God bless you, then let’s try to work out a global deal, as Mr Trump likes to say, a grand deal,” Lukashenko was quoted as saying. Coale added that Washington was seeking to reopen its embassy in Minsk, describing current ties with Belarus as “good, but not excellent”.
Lukashenko, who continues to back Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while suppressing opposition at home with brutal repressions, sought to cast the gesture as part of a broader peace effort. “Our main task is to support Trump and help him in his mission to establish peace,” he said, as quoted by Spiegel.
Sanctions on Belavia will be lifted, allowing it once again to purchase spare parts for its Boeing aircraft. However, an EU flight ban into European airspace appears to still be in effect.
The pardons come too late for the 36 year old Andrei Podnebenny who died in a Belarusian jail last week. Born in Russia, Podnebenny was a 16 year prison sentence for what government critics call politically motivated charges.
He was arrested in late 2021 during a sweeping crackdown on dissent after Lukashenko claimed victory in a disputed election the year before. A Belarusian court sentenced him in 2022 for running an “extremist” Telegram channel, vandalizing dozens of trolleybuses and setting fire to a prison authority’s car.
Podnebenny is thought to be the ninth political prisoner to have died in a Belarusian jail since 2020, according to Viasna, which had recognized him as a political prisoner.
EU diplomat and opposition veteran among 52 political prisoners freed by Belarus
Belarus on Thursday freed 52 political prisoners into neighbouring Lithuania following calls from US President Donald Trump for their release. Among those freed were an EU diplomat along with veteran dissident Mikola Statkevich, who was a 2010 presidential candidate.
Issued on: 11/09/2025
By: FRANCE 24
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's government has freed 52 political prisoners, including an EU diplomat and veteran opposition figure, neighbouring Lithuania said on Thursday, crediting US efforts to secure their release.
Tens of thousands of Belarusians took to the streets in 2020 to protest against what they called a sham presidential election in which Lukashenko secured himself a sixth term.
Many were detained during a brutal crackdown and later prosecuted on what rights group slam as politically motivated charges.
Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda wrote on X that "52 prisoners safely crossed the Lithuanian border from Belarus today", saying he was "deeply grateful" for President Donald Trump's involvement.
According to the Belarusian state news agency Belta, 14 people with foreign citizenship were among those freed: six Lithuanians, two Latvians, two Poles, two Germans, one French national and a British citizen.
Trump has pushed Belarus to free political prisoners in contacts with Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
An EU staff member named Mikalai Khilo was among those released, EU president Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday, thanking Trump for his support.
"The release of political prisoners in Belarus is welcome news. I'm glad our colleague Mikalai Khilo is among those freed. Mikalai safely arrived at our representation in Vilnius," von der Leyen said.
Also released was Mikola Statkevich, 69, a veteran dissident and a 2010 presidential candidate, who spent five years in jail, according to rights group Vyasna.
State media and rights groups reported that a published video of a man they said resembled Statkevich was sitting at the border, refusing to cross into Lithuania.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Ihar Losik, 33, has also been freed after spending five years in jail, the US outlet said.
1,000 still in jail
Nauseda urged further prisoner releases, saying: "More than 1,000 political prisoners still remain in Belarusian prisons and we cannot stop until they see freedom!"
The latest release came as a US official on a visit to Belarus on Thursday said Washington had lifted sanctions on the country's state airline, Belavia.
"As of right now, we're lifting sanctions on Belavia," said Trump's deputy special envoy John Coale in a meeting with Lukashenko that was broadcast on state television.
"Right now, they're lifted ... the president [Trump] three times said, 'Do it', so we didn't have to go through all the bureaucratic stuff. So it's done by the State Department, Treasury and Commerce."
At a news conference, Nauseda said that among those released were "opposition figures, journalists and participants in protests".
He did not disclose the identity of those freed, with the exception of Lithuanian national Elena Ramanauskiene, who was jailed last year on espionage charges.
Fourteen political prisoners were released from prison in Belarus in June, including Sergei Tikhanovsky, the husband of the exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.
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(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
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