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John Coale

John Coale

U.S. special envoy for Belarus (Trump administration)

Appears in 1 story

Notable Quotes

"Per the instructions of President Trump, we, the United States, will be lifting sanctions on potash." — John Coale, as carried by Belarus state media and international wires

"Very productive" — Coale describing December talks with Lukashenko, as reported by multiple outlets

"Our goal" — Coale on normalizing U.S.-Belarus relations, per reporting from Minsk visit

Stories

Trump’s Belarus gambit: prisoners out, potash back in

Rule Changes

Formally nominated as U.S. special envoy to Belarus (November 2025); negotiated major prisoner-sanctions exchange

A U.S. envoy went to Minsk to talk about prisoners—and walked out with both a promise and a delivery. After John Coale's December 2025 visit with Alexander Lukashenko, Treasury's OFAC published General License 13 on December 15, authorizing transactions with Belaruskali, Belarusian Potash Company, and Agrorozkvit—no expiration date. Belarus responded by freeing 123 political prisoners, including Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski and opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova, the regime's most valuable hostages.

Updated Yesterday