U.S. asks three countries to lift sanctions on Belarusian potash

The United States has officially asked Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine to lift sanctions on Belarusian potash fertilizers and allow the transit of the products through their territories. This is stated in an unofficial appeal from the United States Department of State reviewed by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

“Now that the United States has lifted U.S. sanctions on Belaruskali, American companies are interested in purchasing and transporting Belarusian potash. This will require transit through EU countries bordering Belarus or through Ukraine in order to avoid transportation through Russia,” the letter says.

The appeal also notes that the U.S. is interested in exploring potential routes for the transit of Belarusian potash “in order to ease the global shortage through Poland, Lithuania or Ukraine and looks forward to future discussions on this issue with you.”

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry confirmed receipt of the letter to RFE/RL journalists. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys recently spoke about such pressure from the United States.

In March, the United States lifted sanctions on Belaruskali, the Belarusian Potash Company and Agrorazvitie in exchange for the release of 250 political prisoners.

Meanwhile, the European Union unanimously extended sanctions for another year. Restrictions on imports of Belarusian potash fertilizers remain in place, while targeted sanctions against companies — including Belaruskali — were also prolonged.

The letter states that Belarusian potash fertilizers would compete with Russian products: “Any Western purchase of Belarusian potash could deprive Russia of the opportunity to sell its own potash and prevent it from benefiting from transit fees.”

The State Department also proposes directing transit revenues toward supporting Ukraine: “Some or all transit fees collected under this arrangement could be directed by the transit country into a special fund supporting Ukraine’s self-defense.”

Sanctions against Belaruskali were first imposed by the United States in 2021 after Belarusian authorities forced Ryanair Flight 4978 to land in Minsk and detained journalist Raman Pratasevich. Western governments also viewed the company as an important state-owned source of revenue for the Lukashenko regime. The European Union later introduced restrictions on Belarusian potash exports as part of broader sanctions targeting key sectors of the Belarusian economy. Lithuania also restricted the transit of Belarusian potash through its territory, further complicating exports to key markets.

/ automated translation