Washington/Minsk, September 11, 2025 (Agencies): The United States has officially lifted sanctions on Belarus’ flag carrier Belavia, in what is being described as the first step toward normalizing bilateral relations between Washington and Minsk.
The move was announced by US President Donald Trump’s envoy John Coale during a press conference in Minsk alongside Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Coale said he was “officially declaring” the lifting of sanctions, stressing that the decision had been made directly by President Trump, who instructed him to “do it immediately.”
The measure is part of a broader agreement under which Belarus freed 52 political prisoners. Coale confirmed that the decision had been signed off by the US State Department, Commerce Department, Treasury Department, and other relevant agencies.
Belavia had been blacklisted by the Biden administration in 2023 over alleged election fraud and what Washington then described as Minsk’s “complicity” in the Ukraine conflict. Sectoral sanctions were initially imposed on Belarus’ economy in 2021, following widespread protests over the 2020 presidential election that Western governments and opposition groups claimed was marred by fraud.
Coale described the step as a “turning point” in US–Belarus relations, recalling what he called a “very productive” phone conversation between Presidents Trump and Lukashenko in mid-August, which he said laid the groundwork for the deal. Lukashenko, for his part, praised Trump’s peacemaking efforts, saying that no US leader “had done as much to ensure peace.”
Belarus has faced multiple rounds of Western sanctions since 2020. Although Minsk is not directly involved in the Ukraine conflict, it allowed Russian forces to use its territory for a push toward Kiev in the early stages of the war. Lukashenko has repeatedly said Belarus’ role was limited to self-defense and preventing Ukrainian attacks on its soil, in line with its obligations under the Union State security framework with Russia.
Officials in Minsk said the lifting of sanctions on Belavia is expected to restore key international air links and boost the country’s economy. Further steps toward normalization are expected in the coming months as Washington and Minsk explore wider cooperation.