What's behind Belarus' newest prisoner exchange
19 February 2025
On 12 February 2025, Belarusian authorities surprisingly freed an unidentified American, as well as journalist Andrey Kuznechyk, and activist Alena Maushuk. Kuznechyk, a journalist for Radio Free Liberty/Radio Liberty, was jailed for over three years for participating in pro-democracy demonstrations. Maushuk had been detained since 2020, serving six years for alleged involvement in pro-democracy riots. Details of the unidentified American's detention remain unclear.
US deputy assistant secretary of state, Christopher W. Smith, who secretly travelled to Minsk to lead the delegation, described the releases as a "huge victory" and indicated that they might pave the way for a broader agreement.
Since then, details have come out about such a deal. It would involve Belarus releasing a substantial number of political prisoners in return for the U.S. lifting sanctions on Belarusian banks and the potash industry – a critical sector for the country's economy – which revolves around the mining and processing of potassium-bearing minerals.
 | Daria Matviichuk Why does the US engage directly with Belarus? Apparently, the intention could be to pull Belarus away from Russia's grip. But that's an unlikely outcome: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned last week about 100,000–150,000 Russian troops being deployed to Belarus this summer, the extent of their mandate and purpose not fully known. This diplomatic thaw is another move by the American administration that leaves out its European allies, which weren't consulted before and have imposed strict sanctions on Belarus. |
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