https://www.rferl.org/z/658 RFE/RL's latest news, features, commentary, and multimedia content on Belarus https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/658 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 23:43:55 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL US President Donald Trump has said a “massive deal” is being discussed with Belarus, under which it would provide cheaper potash supplies than Canada. But questions since the announcement have swirled over whether Belarus can replace the world's largest potash producer to meet US needs. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-canada-us-potash-fertilizer-russia/33861251.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-canada-us-potash-fertilizer-russia/33861251.html Tue, 22 Sep 2026 19:17:18 +0200 Belarus John Coale, the US special envoy to Belarus, spoke to Current Time shortly after Washington helped secure the release of 25 Belarusian political prisoners in exchange for the easing of sanctions. Coale said his negotiation efforts are also meant to eventually help Belarus normalize its relations with other countries. https://www.rferl.org/a/united-states-envoy-coale-belarus-prisoner-release/33858393.html https://www.rferl.org/a/united-states-envoy-coale-belarus-prisoner-release/33858393.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 22:20:21 +0200 Belarus After brokering the release of 25 prisoners from Belarus, US envoy John Coale tells RFE/RL discuss the deal, sanctions relief, Washington’s tentative thaw with Minsk -- and where Russia fits in. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-envoy-coale-interview-prisoners-us-sanctions/33858363.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-envoy-coale-interview-prisoners-us-sanctions/33858363.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 21:14:24 +0200 Belarus Twenty-five freed political prisoners arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania, on September 16 after they were released by Belarusian authorities. The US special envoy to Belarus, John Coale, said their release was secured in exchange for Washington's agreement to lift sanctions on two Belarusian companies. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-political-prisoners-released-sanctions-deal/33857731.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-political-prisoners-released-sanctions-deal/33857731.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 22:53:02 +0200 Belarus US special envoy John Coale announced that 25 people were released from Belarusian prisons in exchange for the lifting of US sanctions on two Belarusian companies following his talks with the country’s longtime authoritarian leader, Aleksandr Lukashenko. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-us-prisoners-release-sanctions/33857455.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-us-prisoners-release-sanctions/33857455.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:55:01 +0200 Belarus At the Lithuanian border, Belarusian opposition veteran Mikalay Statkevich faced a stark choice: freedom in exile or remaining in the country he had spent decades fighting for. He chose Belarus -- and was taken straight back to prison. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-statkevich-prison-exile-lukashenko/33853785.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-statkevich-prison-exile-lukashenko/33853785.html Mon, 14 Sep 2026 16:16:56 +0200 Belarus An unfinished stadium in Bishkek played host to an Olympic-scale opening of the sixth World Nomad Games as world leaders -- barring one notable exception -- networked in the stands. https://www.rferl.org/a/world-nomad-games-politics-fireworks-opening-ceremone/33844714.html https://www.rferl.org/a/world-nomad-games-politics-fireworks-opening-ceremone/33844714.html Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:05:55 +0200 Photo Galleries The Shanghai Cooperation Organization turns 25 at a moment of extraordinary tension embroiling several of the regional security group’s most prominent members. For China, Russia, Iran, and others, it may be less about substance than a show of influence and independence in the face of the West. https://www.rferl.org/a/shanghai-security-rifts-show-russia-china-iran-west/33844272.html https://www.rferl.org/a/shanghai-security-rifts-show-russia-china-iran-west/33844272.html Mon, 31 Aug 2026 21:12:44 +0200 Features Officials in Belarus are pushing for a law requiring citizens to supply the state with DNA samples, but RFE/RL’s Belarus Service has learned that authorities in the tightly controlled country have already been quietly compiling a DNA database of people viewed with suspicion by the state. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-dna-law-mandatory-saliva-dissident/33842635.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-dna-law-mandatory-saliva-dissident/33842635.html Sat, 29 Aug 2026 09:54:57 +0200 Belarus