Lithuania will have to decide on Belarusian fertilisers

Robertas Puchovičius, Chairman of Nemunas aušros, has no doubt that the issue of resuming the transit of Belarusian potash fertilisers will return to the political agenda and Lithuania will have to take a decision on this. However, he said, it is very important that pragmatic considerations and the position of allies and other neighbouring countries are also taken into account when deciding on the possible lifting of sanctions on Belarusian fertilisers.

„In any case, that question will come. The current US President (Donald Trump – ELTA), knowing that his opinion changes every day, may well say that the fertiliser should be released and try to talk to Lithuania. So in any case we have to have some kind of a plan – whether we agree to release the fertilisers or we don't, what will be the conditions, in any case we have to be prepared for that issue to come“, – said R. Puchovičius in the program „ELTA week“.

„And when that question comes, it will definitely require leadership. It will be necessary to find that leadership and take that decision. But if, for example, Mr. Trump says that we need to transport, and we refuse, and he takes us through Latvia and Poland on the other side, then again the question will be whether we will win or lose from this," the politician stressed.

That is why Puchovičius has no doubt that Lithuania will have to coordinate its position on this issue with its allies. He said that it is very important that if other countries decide to lift the sanctions on Belarusian fertilisers, these products should not be allowed to pass through other countries anyway.

„I am also looking at the economic side. So if we take our position here, just as Lithuania, but we do not take the position of the European Union, of NATO, of our neighbours, then we will lose more, and still the end result will be the same – that fertiliser will go. (...) And there are certainly those decisions where we may not want to take those decisions. But (...) we are still a smaller country, other countries dictate that sometimes we still have to do things that we don't really want to do, but there is no other choice," said the representative of the "Dawn of the Dawners".

„The solution is probably for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for our committee to analyse that issue, to look for the best solution, to make sure that there is our support for Ukraine, to show that we are against the war, but in this place, so that we would not be the only country that does nothing, spends nothing, and other countries are making profits, transporting, and we are looking at this place,“,–, he stressed.

In December last year, US Special Envoy to Belarus John Coale announced that the United States was lifting sanctions on Belarusian potash exports. He also noted that discussions on sanctions would continue.

At the time, it was discussed whether Lithuania was planning to do the same. President Gitanas Nausėda said on Thursday that the country's position on the issue is firm – as long as Belarus continues its hybrid attack on Lithuania, there can be no question of resuming the transit of fertilisers.