In this photo released by Belarusian presidential press service, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, right, and U.S. Presidential envoy John Coale shake hands during their meeting in Minsk, Belarus, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. Photo by Uncredited /AP

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VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — The United States will lift sanctions on Belarusian potash in the latest sign of a thaw between Washington and the isolated autocracy.

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John Coale, the U.S. special envoy for Belarus, met the country’s authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko for talks in the Belarusian capital of Minsk on Friday and Saturday.

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A close ally of Russia, Minsk has faced Western isolation and sanctions for years. Lukashenko has ruled the nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist for more than three decades, and the country has been repeatedly sanctioned by Western countries both for its crackdown on human rights and for allowing Moscow to use its territory in the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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Speaking with journalists, Coale described two-day talks as “very productive,” Belarus’ state news agency Belta reported Saturday.

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The meetings focused on steps toward normalizing relations between Washington and Minsk, including lifting sanctions and releasing political prisoners in Belarus, Coale said. He also said that the relationship between the two countries was moving from “baby steps to more confident steps” as they increased dialogue.

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The discussions also touched on Venezuela, as well as Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Belta said.

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Coale told reporters that Lukashenko had given “good advice” on how to address the conflict, saying that Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin were “longtime friends” with “the necessary level of relationship to discuss such issues.”

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“Naturally, President Putin may accept some advice and not others,” Coale said.

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