U.S. Envoy Promises Release of $44 Million Belarus Funds as Sanctions Talks Stall
Updated
Updated · The Moscow Times · Sep 15
U.S. Envoy Promises Release of $44 Million Belarus Funds as Sanctions Talks Stall
3 articles · Updated · The Moscow Times · Sep 15
Summary
$44 million in Belarusian funds frozen at Citibank became the focus of John Coale’s three-hour meeting with Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, where the U.S. envoy said the money must be released.
Coale’s pledge addressed Lukashenko’s demand to recover proceeds from potash shipments, a dispute the Belarusian leader has cast as blocking broader talks with Washington.
The visit was Coale’s first to Belarus in six months and came as Minsk says it is open to discussing any issue with the United States if both sides honor agreements.
The funds dispute sits inside a wider bargain: Belarus wants U.S. sanctions eased, while Washington has tied relief to prisoner releases; hundreds have been freed, but rights groups say more than 900 political prisoners remain.