Lithuania plans to keep ports closed to Belarusian potash transit

Lithuania sees no grounds for reviewing EU sanctions that restrict the transit of Belarusian potash through the bloc. This could complicate potential fertilizer supplies to the US under a deal Washington is working on with Minsk.

The port of Klaipeda is the closest maritime outlet for Belarusian potash exports. Without access to Lithuanian ports, Belarusian exporters have to use longer and more expensive logistics routes, which could reduce the product’s price advantage in the US market.

US President Donald Trump said on September 21 that Washington was working on a deal to buy Belarusian potash at a lower price than the US currently pays for supplies from Canada. Canada remains the main supplier of potash fertilizers to the US market.

Lithuania, meanwhile, insists that the existing EU sanctions on Belarus should remain in place. Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said Vilnius sees no grounds for changing its current approach.

Alternative transit through Poland also remains uncertain. Logistics could therefore become one of the key factors determining the actual volumes and economics of potential Belarusian potash supplies to the US.

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Tags: Lithuania, potash, Belarus, USA