Rybakou: Only One Issue Fully Resolved — Personal Sanctions Lifted on Belaruskali CEO

Reform.news Editorial Team · 22 October 2026, 13:15

https://reform.news/en/rybakou-only-one-issue-fully-resolved-personal-sanctions-lifted-on-belaruskali-ceo/

The issues raised by the Belarusian side with the United States are being addressed, but only one has been fully resolved so far: sanctions have been lifted on the CEO of Belaruskali. This was stated by Belarus’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Valiantsin Rybakou, following a briefing to Aliaksandr Lukashenka. Resolving the other issues will take time.

Today, Aliaksandr Lukashenka received a briefing on the progress of negotiations with the United States. Opening the meeting, he noted that after US presidential special envoy John Coale’s visit in September, he had agreed with his subordinates to review the results a month later.

“All the issues that were raised are being addressed. But only one has been fully resolved — personal sanctions have been lifted on the head of Belaruskali. The remaining issues are still being worked on. This may take some time because they are complex issues involving banking details. But they will be resolved,” Rybakou said today, BelTA reports.

It should be recalled that sanctions on Andrei Rybakou, CEO of Belaruskali, were lifted yesterday, immediately before today’s briefing.

The diplomat assured that negotiations with the US side would continue and that “positive results will not take very long to materialise.” Rybakou plans to meet with a US delegation in New York next week. According to him, the agenda will include both issues raised previously and new opportunities for cooperation.

“New opportunities are emerging for engagement with the US side, including in light of the US president’s recent decisions concerning cooperation with other countries,” he added.

“The interest is mutual. It is no secret that Belarus is of some interest to the United States. The Belarusian president has repeatedly said that we are not the richest, most powerful or largest country, and that we understand our place. Nevertheless, for a number of reasons known to everyone, Belarus is of interest to the United States. This is precisely why the process of engagement between us is continuing,” Rybakou said.

The main issue remains the lifting of sanctions.

“We are working on this, and the process is under way. Some positive results have been achieved in this area. There is no doubt that the process will continue. I am not prepared to give any specific time frame because the negotiations are complex. Nevertheless, so far, everything is developing in a direction that serves our interests,” he added.

Rybakou was also asked whether visits by US officials to Minsk should be expected.

“They should certainly be expected. But it is too early to talk about this. I cannot provide any dates or specific details yet, but the matter is being discussed,” he said.

The diplomat noted that the US election campaign affects the country’s domestic political situation and, to some extent, influences the negotiating agenda with Belarus, including the setting of specific dates and other matters. However, he does not expect the election results to affect the course of negotiations.

“At a broader level, these results will not affect this process in terms of our interests and our engagement with the United States. Even if the results are unfavourable to the Republican Party, particularly in the House of Representatives, the US president remains, under the Constitution, the official responsible for formulating and implementing the country’s foreign policy. From this perspective, we should not expect any major difficulties. I repeat: I see no direct threats to our engagement,” he said.