TALLINN, Estonia — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 31 Ukrainians imprisoned in Belarus on criminal charges, the latest sign of Minsk’s attempt to ease tensions with Western nations.

The prisoners were released “as a gesture of goodwill,” in line with understandings reached between Lukashenko and U.S. President Donald Trump at Kyiv’s request, Belarusian state news agency Belta reported Saturday, citing Lukashenko’s spokesperson Natalia Eismont.

Those freed were handed over to Ukrainian authorities, according to the report.

The move follows another high-profile decision earlier this week, when Lukashenko pardoned two jailed Catholic priests at the request of the Vatican.

Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has allowed Moscow to use its territory to launch troops and tanks into Ukraine and later to deploy nuclear weapons.

The country has also served as a venue for Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchanges.

Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for more than three decades, has in recent months sought to repair relations with Western governments.

Following a phone call with Trump in August, he pardoned 51 political prisoners under a U.S.-brokered deal that resulted in some sanctions being lifted from the state airline Belavia.

Trump later announced that lawyer John Cole, a key intermediary in the agreement, would be appointed U.S. special envoy to Belarus to continue work on prisoner releases.

Human rights group Viasna says 1,257 political prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, Viasna’s founder.

Belarusian authorities say Minsk and Washington will hold further talks in December.

“Belarus is open to dialogue,” Lukashenko’s press service said Saturday. “Negotiations with various countries, chiefly the United States, are now actively ongoing.”

Valery Karbalevich, a Belarusian political analyst, said the government is signaling a return to its longstanding strategy of balancing between Moscow and the West.

“Lukashenko is seeking to reduce his total dependence on the Kremlin. Therefore, he is willing to trade political prisoners like commodities, hoping for an easing of Western sanctions,” Karbalevich told The Associated Press.

“Trump is giving Lukashenko a chance to thaw relations with the U.S., which also paves the way for the easing of European sanctions,” he said, adding that EU measures “hit Belarus much harder” than those imposed by Washington. — Agencies