Minister on transit of Belarusian fertilisers: 'not worth cooling your mouth'

As the US pressures Lithuania and other neighbouring countries to lift sanctions on Belarusian potash fertilisers, Transport and Communications Minister Juras Taminskas says it is not worth cooling one's mouth over their transit through Lithuania.

„The European sanctions are in place and are valid until February next year. I said last year, when the Belarusian fertiliser debate was going on, that I was more than 100% confident that the sanctions would be extended. It is not worth cooling our mouths and speculating on fertiliser shipments," Mr Taminskas told Žinių radios on Thursday.

Minister says he has not been pressured to resume transit of Belarusian fertilisers through Lithuania.

„I have not experienced any pressure, I have not received any letters. If others have received letters or have been under pressure, they should say what kind of pressure they are under," he said.

Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said last week that there is currently no reason to review EU sanctions on Belarusian potash fertilisers, although the issue is being discussed with the United States.

The head of Lithuanian diplomacy stressed that unanimity among the 27 EU member states is required to take decisions on the sanctions, and that discussing the lifting of the sanctions in the absence of the legal and political conditions to do so is a "waste of time".

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week that as long as the reasons behind the European sanctions on Belarusian fertilisers have not changed, there is no reason to lift them.

„Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty“ reported last week that US officials are asking Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine to lift sanctions on Belarusian potassium fertilisers in order to allow transit of the product through their territories.

Lithuania has suspended the transit of Belarusian potash fertiliser from 1 February 2022, after the US imposed sanctions on the country's largest potash fertiliser producer, Belaruskali, in 2021, in response to human rights abuses in Belarus.

The US lifted the sanctions earlier this year following the release of some political prisoners by the regime of Alexander Lukashenko. Nevertheless, Lithuania continues to impose restrictions on the transit of fertilisers, as the EU subsequently imposed them following the US decision.

K. Budrys spoke earlier in May, during a closed meeting of the Social Democratic Party group, about pressure from the US on the transit of Belarusian fertilisers. This was confirmed to BNS by several politicians present at the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity.