The United States is seeking to resume the export of Belarusian potash through Lithuania - the head of the country's Foreign Ministry

The United States is putting pressure on Lithuania to resume the export of Belarusian potash fertilizers through the port of Klaipeda, which was stopped after the imposition of sanctions against the regime of Alexander Lukashenko. This was stated by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys, Reuters reports .

According to Budrys, he previously denied the existence of such pressure, but now “there has been additional activity from the United States.” At the same time, the head of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry emphasized that Vilnius supports EU sanctions against Belarusian potassium and is not going to discuss the resumption of transit while the restrictions remain in force.

We are talking about supplies to the Belaruskali company, one of the world's largest producers of potash fertilizers. Until 2022, Belarus exported potash through the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda to India, China and Brazil. The transit was stopped after the introduction of American sanctions against Belaruskali due to repressions at the end of the 2020 presidential elections, the results of which were not recognized by Western countries.

The European Union introduced its own sanctions against Belarusian potash in 2022 - after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Minsk’s support for the Russian army. These restrictions are in effect until at least February 2027.

At the same time, US sanctions against Belarusian potassium were lifted in March 2026 after a deal brokered by Washington: Minsk released 250 political prisoners. US Presidential Special Envoy for Belarus John Cole then told the Lithuanian broadcaster LRT that resuming exports through Lithuania “would be beneficial to the United States.”

In March 2025, the Belarusian Research Center wrote that Belaruskali continues to supply products to the EU in circumvention of sanctions. According to investigators, industrial salt halite, produced by the sanctioned company, entered the European Union through other companies under the guise of the de-icing agent Norta. Belaruskali confirmed to journalists that the agent is produced from their halite, but formally it is sold by other companies.