Washington is asking Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania to allow the transit of Belarusian fertilizers
The U.S. State Department has sent an official request to the governments of Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania asking them to lift national restrictions on the transit of potash products from Belarus. The U.S. seeks to open logistics corridors through the territory of these three countries to ensure the delivery of Belaruskali’s goods to the United States, bypassing Russia.
This is evidenced by an unofficial letter from the U.S. State Department, which was obtained by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Belarusian service.
The need to develop new transit routes through Eastern Europe arose after the U.S. Department of the Treasury officially lifted U.S. sanctions against Belaruskali, the Belarusian Potash Company, and Agrorozvitok in March of this year. Washington’s easing of restrictions was the result of bilateral agreements under which Alexander Lukashenko’s regime released 250 political prisoners from jail. Currently, American businesses are showing strong interest in direct purchases of Belarusian raw materials to address shortages and stabilize the global fertilizer market.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already officially confirmed to journalists that it received a letter to that effect from U.S. Special Representative John Cole. The foreign ministries of Poland and Lithuania are currently refraining from official comments, though Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys previously publicly acknowledged diplomatic pressure from Washington regarding the resumption of Belarusian transit.
The implementation of this initiative remains in question due to the hardline stance of European partners. Economic sanctions against the Belarusian potash sector have been in place since 2021, and this year the European Union unanimously extended these restrictions, which include a strict ban on the import and transport of fertilizers through EU territory. Furthermore, Ukrainian expert circles are already voicing criticism of a potential easing of restrictions, as the restoration of Minsk’s potash revenues could be interpreted by the Kremlin as the West’s willingness to gradually dismantle the overall sanctions pressure.
Lithuania does not plan to lift the ban on the transit of Belarusian fertilizers through the Klaipėda State Seaport.
On May 22, the EU Council decided to suspend duties on a number of key nitrogen fertilizers for agriculture for one year. This specifically concerns urea and ammonia. At the same time, the decision does not apply to products from Russia and Belarus.
