Name of country: Republic of Belarus

Establishment of diplomatic relations: 13 March 1992 (Federal Republic of Germany)

System of government: Presidential republic

The Republic of Belarus’s relations with Germany as well as with the European Union are severely strained. This is in particular due to the brutal suppression of democratic protests in 2020, the country’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and the dire human rights situation, as well as the severe election fraud that took place in the country during, among other instances, the 2020 and 2025 presidential elections. The European Union, the G7 and many other partners worldwide have reacted to this by imposing wide-ranging sanctions on Belarus.

Against this backdrop, cooperation with state agencies in Belarus is reduced to a minimum. At the same time, the Federal Government has significantly increased its support for Belarusian civil society and is strongly making its case to the Belarusian leadership for an end to all political repression.

On the orders of the Belarusian authorities, the cultural organisations Goethe-Institut, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and Central Agency for Schools Abroad (ZfA) have had to temporarily suspend their activities in the country. Despite all these restrictions, close ties between Belarus and Germany do still exist in the civil-society sector, for example in the field of Chernobyl assistance or societal reconciliation against the background of Nazi crimes.

According to figures published by the Federal Statistical Office, bilateral trade with Germany amounted to some 327 million euro in the first half of 2026.