Belavia sanctions lifted and Poland shut its Belarus border
A look back at two developments on Belarus's western and transatlantic fronts reported on 11 September 2025, days before 15 September 2025.
What was happening on Belarus's borders and in its relations abroad by 15 September 2025? Two reports from 11 September, days earlier, set the picture.
The United States lifted its sanctions on Belavia, the Belarusian flag carrier. As reported at the time, the move followed the release of political prisoners.
The same day, Poland closed its border with Belarus indefinitely and deployed 40,000 troops to it. Warsaw cited security concerns over Russian–Belarusian military exercises near the region, the first such exercises since 2022.
Together, the two announcements showed Minsk facing a relaxation of sanctions from Washington while Poland moved to a tighter security posture on its frontier. By 15 September 2025, the border closure was described as having no set end date.
