--- title: "US and Belarus Reach Interim Deal: 25 Political Prisoners Released in Exchange for Sanctions Lifted on Two Companies" description: "Belarus and the US reached an interim agreement: Minsk released 25 political prisoners, and Washington lifted sanctions on the companies \"Lakokrasika\" and \"Bellesbumprom.\" The parties intend to continue the dialogue on the remaining issues." date: 2026-09-16T10:16:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/us-belarus-interim-deal-political-prisoners-sanctions tags: [belarus, usa, political-prisoners, sanctions, lukashenko, human-rights, viasna] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # US and Belarus Reach Interim Deal: 25 Political Prisoners Released in Exchange for Sanctions Lifted on Two Companies ![US official at a briefing on the interim deal with Belarus over the release of political prisoners and sanctions relief](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/16/ssha-belorussiya-soglashenie-politizaklyuchyonnye-sankcii/ssha-belorussiya-soglashenie-politizaklyuchyonnye-sankcii-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Belarus agreed to release 25 political prisoners following negotiations with the US - Washington lifted sanctions on two Belarusian companies β€” "Lakokrasika" and "Bellesbumprom" - US special envoy John Cole called the agreement interim and announced further steps - According to "Viasna," the relatives of the prisoners were notified of the release on the evening of September 15 On September 16, 2026, Belarus and the United States announced the reach of an interim agreement under which Minsk agreed to release 25 political prisoners, while Washington in return lifted sanctions on two Belarusian enterprises β€” "Lakokrasika" and "Bellesbumprom." This was announced by the U.S. presidential special envoy John Cole, who emphasized that the parties had agreed on the key parameters of the deal and intend to continue the dialogue on the remaining open issues. ### Deal mechanics: who gets what According to statements from the American side, the release of 25 political prisoners became a direct condition for lifting the sanctions pressure on the Belarusian economy. The companies covered by the sanctions relief were "Lakokrasika" and "Bellesbumprom" β€” enterprises previously included in U.S. sanctions lists. Cole clarified that this is only the first stage: "When all issues are resolved and agreed upon by both sides, there will be an additional release of individuals and the lifting of sanctions against Belarusian companies." Thus, both sides are building into the agreement a mechanism for the phased fulfillment of obligations. ### Human rights monitoring: how the release took place According to the Belarusian human rights organization "Viasna," on the evening of September 15, the relatives of some of the prisoners were notified that they would be able to pick up their loved ones from the correctional colonies the following morning β€” on September 16. This means that the actual agreement on the terms of release was completed no later than the evening of the 15th, while the public confirmation of the deal by the American special envoy came on the 16th. Human rights defenders recorded that the former inmates were taken out of their places of detention within the established timeframe. ### Context: Lukashenko's statements about "monsters" and the geopolitical backdrop Against the backdrop of the diplomatic breakthrough with Washington, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko had earlier publicly assured that he does not plan to attack neighboring states. In his words, such a step would be "equivalent to death" for Minsk, because Belarus would not be able to defeat the neighboring "monsters." These statements, made against the backdrop of discussions on regional security, form additional context for understanding why Minsk is ready to make concessions in the area of human rights in exchange for economic unblocking. ### Outlook: what remains open Special envoy Cole emphasized that the agreement reached is interim. The parties will continue negotiations on the issues that remain open between the two countries. The specific list of these issues, as well as the timing of the next round of releases and sanctions relief, was not disclosed at the time of publication. Experts note that the "step-by-step" format creates an incentive for both sides: Minsk gets a gradual lifting of economic pressure, while Washington gets a steady improvement in the situation with political prisoners without the need to make risky decisions all at once. ## πŸ” Fact-Check Verification - [US to lift sanctions against Belarusian companies: what Lukashenko promised instead](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/ssha-skasuyut-sanktsiyi-proti-kompaniy-bilorusi-1789553389.html) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ снятиС санкций ΠΈ ΠΎΠ±ΠΌΠ΅Π½ Π½Π° освобоТдСниС Π·Π°ΠΊΠ»ΡŽΡ‡Ρ‘Π½Π½Ρ‹Ρ…, Π° Ρ‚Π°ΠΊΠΆΠ΅ контСкст заявлСний Π›ΡƒΠΊΠ°ΡˆΠ΅Π½ΠΊΠΎ. - [US lifts sanctions on two Belarusian companies. Cole declares progress in Minsk's relations with ...](https://www.belnovosti.by/politika/ssha-snimayut-sankcii-s-dvuh-belorusskih-kompaniy-koul-zayavil-o-progresse-v-otnosheniyah) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ названия ΠΊΠΎΠΌΠΏΠ°Π½ΠΈΠΉ (Лакокраска, БСллСсбумпром) ΠΈ заявлСниС ΠšΠΎΡƒΠ»Π° ΠΎ прогрСссС. - [US lifts a series of sanctions on Belarus in exchange for the release of 25 political prisoners. Former inmates ...](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D0%B5%D0%B2%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%B0/20260916-%D1%81%D1%88%D0%B0-%D1%81%D0%BD%D1%8F%D0%BB%D0%B8-%D1%80%D1%8F%D0%B4-%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BA%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%B9-%D1%81-%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D0%B8-%D0%B2-%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD-%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5-25-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%BB%D1%8E%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D1%8B%D1%85-%D0%B1%D1%8B%D0%B2%D1%88%D0%B8%D0%B5-%D1%83%D0%B7%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B8-%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%8B-%D0%B2-%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B2%D1%83) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ число 25 Π·Π°ΠΊΠ»ΡŽΡ‡Ρ‘Π½Π½Ρ‹Ρ…, Ρ„Π°ΠΊΡ‚ освобоТдСния ΠΈ Π²Ρ‹Π²ΠΎΠ·Π° Π±Ρ‹Π²ΡˆΠΈΡ… ΡƒΠ·Π½ΠΈΠΊΠΎΠ². - ["Free Belarus from Russia's clutches." Belarusian opposition begins strategic dialogue with the US](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D0%B2-%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B5/20231208-%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%8C-%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D1%8C-%D0%B8%D0%B7-%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BF-%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F-%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F-%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%87%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B0-%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9-%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B3-%D1%81-%D1%81%D1%88%D0%B0) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ число 25 Π·Π°ΠΊΠ»ΡŽΡ‡Ρ‘Π½Π½Ρ‹Ρ…, Ρ„Π°ΠΊΡ‚ освобоТдСния ΠΈ Π²Ρ‹Π²ΠΎΠ·Π° Π±Ρ‹Π²ΡˆΠΈΡ… ΡƒΠ·Π½ΠΈΠΊΠΎΠ². ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: How many political prisoners did Belarus release under the agreement with the US? **A:** According to the human rights organization "Viasna" and the statement of US special envoy John Cole, Belarus released 25 political prisoners. The relatives of some of the prisoners were notified of the release on the evening of September 15, 2026. ### Q: What US sanctions were lifted on Belarus under this agreement? **A:** Washington lifted sanctions against two Belarusian companies β€” "Lakokrasika" and "Bellesbumprom." Cole clarified that, once the remaining issues are resolved, additional sanctions will be lifted. ### Q: Is the agreement reached final? **A:** No. US special envoy John Cole explicitly called it interim. The parties will continue the dialogue on the issues that remain open, after which, in his words, additional releases and sanctions relief will take place. ### Q: What did Lukashenko say in the context of regional security? **A:** Lukashenko assured that he does not plan to attack neighboring states, calling such a step "equivalent to death" for Minsk, because Belarus would not be able to defeat the neighboring "monsters."