Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko ordered the release of 250 political prisoners on Thursday following a meeting with U.S. special envoy John Coale in Minsk, marking the largest single prisoner release in the country's recent history.

The release was part of a deal with Washington that resulted in the United States lifting sanctions on two Belarusian state banks and the country's Finance Ministry. The U.S. also removed top Belarusian potash producers from its sanctions list. Coale described the prisoner release as a "significant humanitarian milestone."

Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed the development as "a moment of great relief and hope," thanking Trump administration officials for their efforts to secure the releases. However, she noted that many political prisoners remain incarcerated, with human rights group Viasna estimating more than 1,100 political prisoners were held in Belarus before Thursday's announcement.

This marked the second major prisoner release since December, when 123 prisoners were freed and sent to Ukraine and Lithuania, coinciding with previous U.S. sanctions relief on Belarus' potash sector. The December meeting was the first high-level U.S.-Belarus diplomatic contact in years.

Lukashenko has ruled Belarus for more than three decades and faced his strongest challenge following the disputed 2020 presidential election. Mass protests erupted after the vote, which demonstrators viewed as rigged, leading to a severe crackdown with tens of thousands detained and many beaten by police. Prominent opposition figures either fled the country or were imprisoned.

The recent diplomatic engagement represents Lukashenko's broader effort to improve relations with the West. Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has faced extensive Western sanctions for human rights violations and for allowing Moscow to use its territory during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Trump spoke with Lukashenko by phone in August 2025 and suggested a potential face-to-face meeting.