Sarah Rainsford, Vilnius
Dearbale Jordan,
Belarus has released 123 prisoners, including prominent opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova, after the United States agreed to lift sanctions on the Eastern European country.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Byalyatski is also among those released after talks in Minsk with US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Belarus, John Cole.
The US has agreed to lift sanctions on potash, a key fertilizer ingredient and an important export for Belarus, a close ally of Russia.
"As relations between the two countries normalize, more and more sanctions will be lifted," Cole said:
The European Union does not recognize Alexander Lukashenko as the president of Belarus.
Kolesnikova has been in prison since 2020, and has spent most of that time in solitary confinement.
Her sister, Tatjana Homić, who fought tirelessly for her release, was soon able to speak to her via video call and confirmed the news to the BBC.
"She's free, she looks good, she looks good," said Homich, adding that she was looking forward to hugging her sister.
A group of those released is expected to arrive in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, soon.
Homich said that the first thing Kolesnikova said when they spoke was "thank you to the US administration, President Trump, and the government of Belarus for leading these negotiations."
The agreement represents a major achievement for Lukashenko, and the authoritarian leader will also welcome the way the Americans have ended his international isolation.
In addition to the EU, the US did not recognize Lukashenko as president after unfair elections five years ago, which led to massive street protests that were brutally suppressed by police.
Hundreds of people were arrested then, including Kolesnikova, and intense political repression continued.
Western sanctions were tightened after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when some troops entered through Belarus and missiles were launched from its territory.
Belarusian state media quoted Cole as saying that sanctions on potash would be lifted immediately.
The US envoy also said he spoke with Lukashenko about Ukraine and what help Minsk could offer in talks with Putin.
The attempt to engage Minsk is part of a major shift in US policy, bringing it into major conflict with Europe - which relies on sanctions and isolation.
BBC is in Serbian from now on and on YouTube, follow us HERE.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram i Viber. If you have a topic suggestion for us, please contact bbcnasrpskom@bbc.co.uk
- Svetlana Alexievich for the BBC: On Lukashenko, the 'red people' and why he 'doesn't support the revolution'
- A 'danger zone' in Europe that few people know about: the Suwalki Corridor
- I was cut in half in prison, but I am not broken, says Belarusian opposition leader
Bonus video:
