Lithuania discusses Belarusian potash transit with U.S., but EU sanctions remain

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said Lithuania is holding talks with the United States about the transit of Belarusian potash. However, EU sanctions on these supplies will remain in force for almost another year. Budrys made the remarks while commenting on reports about an unofficial letter from the United States Department of State.

Earlier reports said the United States had proposed that Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine lift sanctions on Belarusian potash fertilizer shipments and lobby for the removal of these sanctions within the European Union.

“I can confirm that we are holding discussions with the United States on this issue. The matter is on the agenda and we are considering different opinions. However, I want to note that until next year — until the end of February 2027 — sanctions against Belarus regarding potash fertilizers remain in force. There are no ways, means or grounds to revise anything at the European Union level. This is not only Lithuania’s position — it is the European position,” broadcaster LRT quoted Budrys as saying.

He did not confirm that Lithuania had received a letter from the U.S. State Department. The minister only said that Lithuania maintains “various contacts with the State Department and other U.S. institutions.”

Budrys also stressed that the sanctions decision was made by the European Union rather than by any single country.

“This is not a national decision. It is not even a decision by the regional states bordering Belarus — Latvia, Poland and Lithuania. Even if the three of us made a decision, it would mean nothing. Any different decision requires unanimity among all 27 states,” he said.

At the same time, Budrys said he sees no point in discussing an expansion of sanctions at the moment.

“In my opinion, considering something right now without the necessary legal and political conditions is a waste of time,” he said.

European Union sanctions against Belarusian potash were introduced gradually after the disputed 2020 Belarusian presidential election and the crackdown on mass protests. Restrictions were later expanded following the 2021 forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk and Belarus’s support for Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Potash fertilizers are one of Belarus’s main export products and a major source of foreign currency revenue for the Lukashenko government.