The Atlantic: Trump backs plan to ease Russia sanctions in exchange for political prisoners without waiting for the Ukraine war to end
U.S. President Donald Trump has approved a proposal to ease sanctions on Russia in exchange for the release of political prisoners, The Atlantic reports.
According to the magazine’s Simon Shuster, special envoy John Coale proposed the approach. Coale secured the release of about 500 political prisoners in Belarus in exchange for sanctions relief.
Washington and Minsk have also begun discussing a major deal to buy Belarusian potash, as Trump announced last week. Coale says Russia is involved in the talks because European sanctions mean Belarusian potash will have to be exported through Russia.
Coale’s plan for Moscow is still in its early stages and aims to break the deadlock in talks between Russia and the United States, Shuster says. In Shuster’s view, it would give Vladimir Putin an easy way to show goodwill and signs of diplomatic progress with the United States without stopping Russia’s strikes on Ukraine. In exchange for the release of prisoners, Washington could offer the Kremlin sanctions relief and a return to trade deals.
Coale believes such deals would help bring about peace: “Economic ties usually result in normality.” Ukraine does not share his optimism. President Volodymyr Zelensky told Shuster he would do his best to “block” any attempt to lift sanctions on Russia before the war ends.
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya believes lifting sanctions in exchange for prisoners could only encourage authorities in Russia and Belarus to take more hostages:
They can always arrest more people, while the West loses its leverage over these regimes by lifting sanctions and making deals.
Dmitry Muratov, a former Novaya Gazeta editor-in-chief and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, suggested that Coale try his Belarus approach with the Kremlin. Muratov asked Shuster to introduce him to the presidential envoy.
Coale already has a list of Americans held in Russian prisons whose cases Washington could raise in future negotiations. He and Muratov compiled a separate list of Russian political prisoners, journalists, and others convicted for opposing the war. No specific names or possible U.S. concessions have been disclosed.
At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.
If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at reports@meduza.io.
To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.