Lithuania suggested linking Belarusian potash transit to the presence of US forces in the country
The chief advisor to the President of Lithuania on national security issues, Deividas Matulionis, says that US representatives have not yet held negotiations with Lithuanian officials regarding the possible resumption of Belarusian fertilizer transit through Klaipėda port, but if this issue is revisited later, such a decision could be linked to an additional presence of American forces, writes LRT.
“This correct behavior of the Americans – they truly do not put pressure on us to take additional steps, however, if potash fertilizers from Belarus start coming to America, then the question will arise of what route to transport them. That's where an interesting moment will appear,” said Matulionis.
“If we were to do something in this direction, it should perhaps be linked to additional opportunities for the presence of American forces. If these fertilizers essentially become American, intended for the US market, then (...) we must be in the sphere of American interests, and not go against the Americans,” he added.
On December 13, the Americans announced that they were lifting sanctions on Belarusian potash.
The European Union is expected to make a decision in the spring on extending its own sanctions against fertilizers.
Matulionis called for not ideologizing the issue of Belarusian fertilizer transit and, if the situation changes, to strive for the realization of Lithuania's pragmatic interests.
“National interest is a combination of value-based and pragmatic policy,” said the advisor to the President of Lithuania.
Lithuania banned the transit of Belarusian fertilizers in early 2022, citing US sanctions, while the EU imposed sanctions against them later.
The US has about a thousand of its military personnel stationed in Lithuania, at the Pabradė training ground, but is currently reviewing its deployment priorities in Europe and globally.
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