Reuters: US negotiates with Belarus to free at least 100 political prisoners

The administration of the President of the United States Donald Trump and Belarus are discussing the possible release of at least 100 political prisoners by Minsk in the near future. This was reported by the agency Reuters with reference to three unnamed interlocutors familiar with the negotiations.

While Russia's allay has already released dozens of prisoners in several waves since Trump took office in January, U.S. officials want to secure the release of more than 100 prisoners in a single deal, the sources said.

In September, Belarus released 52 people, releasing the most prisoners to date. Western human rights organizations claim that the government of Belarus' dictator Alexander Lukashenko holds more than 1,000 political prisoners, including former presidential candidates and Nobel Prize winners.

It is unclear which prisoners might be released and when exactly this might happen. The White House declined to comment, and the Belarusian embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

The Trump administration's push for the largest prisoner release to date is part of its controversial campaign to soften relations with the authoritarian state in exchange for the prospect of sanctions relief.

Some U.S. officials told Reuters that U.S. engagement with Belarus is part of a longer-term, broader strategy to remove Minsk from Moscow's geopolitical orbit, even if only slightly.

Among the key US figures in the talks is John Cole, whom Trump appointed as special envoy for Belarus earlier this month, the sources added.

The State Department praised Trump's leadership and Cole's efforts, but did not comment on the prisoner releases.

"The United States stands ready for additional engagement with Belarus that will advance U.S. interests and will continue efforts to secure the release of political prisoners in Belarus," the spokesman said.

The article says that despite the recent release of political prisoners, Belarus has not stopped politically motivated arrests. It is unclear what exactly the United States will offer Lukashenko in exchange for the prisoner deal.

One measure that U.S. officials have been informally discussing this year is easing U.S. sanctions on Belarus' potash sector. Belarus is a major global supplier of this fertilizer ingredient.

• November 22, Lukashenko pardoned 31 Ukrainians who were held in prisons in Belarus. We managed to return both men and women who had been sentenced to various terms of imprisonment – from two to 11 years.