“Big deal” with Washington: Belarus says talks are advancing as ties with Trump’s America warm

Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenka told reporters that Belarus is preparing a “big deal” with the United States, according to the state news agency Belta. 

Belarus–US relations have seemingly warmed under the administration of US President Donald Trump, with Washington easing certain sanctions amid several rounds of direct engagement on economic and diplomatic matters. 

Belarus has faced US and EU sanctions for years over authoritarian rule and human rights abuses, with restrictions expanded after the 2020 crackdown on protests and further tightened over Minsk’s support for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

Washington put diplomacy, nuclear materials, and customs on the table

Speaking on 20 March in Minsk, Lukashenka said US officials, on behalf of President Trump, had proposed an agreement covering multiple topics, including diplomatic representation, nuclear material security, and cooperation on customs and anti-narcotics measures.

Lukashenka said Belarus had submitted its proposals and that discussions were ongoing. He described the deal as addressing a range of issues, including topics sometimes raised by neighboring countries such as Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland. 

He emphasized that Belarus was negotiating from its own position and had not requested concessions in exchange for sanctions relief.

250 prisoners freed the day before – and a denial

In previous rounds of dialogue, Belarus released political prisoners at the same time that the US lifted sanctions, which has led analysts to suggest that Minsk may be using these releases as leverage in negotiations. 

On 19 March Belarus freed 250 political prisoners after the US agreed to lift sanctions on the country’s banking, finance, and potash sectors.

Lukashenka mentioned the issue of “political prisoners” himself, saying the Americans bring it up but asserting that Belarus does not have political articles in its criminal code.

Washington never asked Belarus to leave Russia

The president also suggested the potential deal could involve economic components. He said he had offered a Belarusian mine to US investors for $3 billion, though details were still being discussed. 

Lukashenka claimed that US officials never sought to pull Belarus away from Russia, stressing that Washington had respected Minsk’s existing alliances.

According to Lukashenka, the talks build on prior engagement and open communication between the two countries. He framed the process as mutually beneficial and said he hoped to finalize the deal soon, though he provided no timeline or specific terms.