The U.S. has lifted sanctions on fertilizer from Belarus in exchange for 250 political prisoners.
The Trump administration lifted sanctions on three Belarusian companies that produce a crucial ingredient in fertilizer, potash, as the war in Iran raises prices and threatens the economy of farmers. The authoritarian country produces as much as one-fifth of the world’s supply of the mineral critical to food security.
The U.S. also lifted sanctions on the country’s state bank, offering an economic lifeline to one of Russia’s closest allies. The move follows last week’s decision by the Trump administration to lift Russian oil sanctions.
The Belarusian leader, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, is a strongman who has been in power for 32 years. Lukashenko violently suppressed protests following a 2020 election widely seen as falsified.
There are more than 1,100 political prisoners in Belarusian jails, many arrested after the disputed 2020 election that triggered widespread protests.
Lukashenko is also among the few world leaders who agreed to join Trump’s Board of Peace, and reports state that he may soon be visiting the United States.