The US decision to lift sanctions against Belarus is likely to directly contribute to Russia’s economy and, consequently, to its military action in Ukraine, the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a report.
“ISW has long held that Russia has de facto annexed Belarus and that the states have a combined defence industrial base. Thus, the lifting of US sanctions against Belarus directly contributes to Russia’s military efforts,” the report said.
The day before, U.S. Special Envoy John Cole said after talks with Alexander Lukashenko that the United States lifted sanctions on two Belarusian banks and the Ministry of Finance of Belarus, as well as cancelled the sanctions, which remained, against potash companies Belaruskali, Belarusian Potash Company and Agrorastvor.
The decision on sanctions was announced after the release of 250 political prisoners in Belarus following the meeting between Lukashenko and Cole. It is known that 15 of them were taken out of the country, while 235 will remain in Belarus.
The Belarusian human rights group Viasna said before that there are more than 1,100 political prisoners in the country.
Cole told Reuters he expected all political prisoners in Belarus to be released by the end of this year. If that happens, he said, the United States will lift all sanctions imposed on Belarus for suppressing protests in 2020.