Trump Did Not Inform Lithuania About Intent to Conclude an Agreement with Lukashenka on Fertilizers
Lithuania did not receive information about a possible major agreement between the USA and Belarus on the purchase of fertilizers. However, Vilnius does not intend to change its position regarding Minsk. This was stated by Remigijus Motuzas, Chairman of the Lithuanian Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee, writes LRT.
According to the parliamentarian, Lithuania has no reasons to cancel sanctions against Belarus. He emphasized that this is a common position not only of Lithuania but also of the European Union, and the current sanctions are set to expire by the end of February.
Motuzas noted that Lithuania cannot influence US decisions or a possible agreement on the purchase of Belarusian fertilizers. According to him, only time will tell whether Washington will be able to conclude such an agreement.
The Lithuanian politician stated that his country continues to consider Belarus an undemocratic state, and Aliaksandr Lukashenka an undemocratically elected leader. He acknowledged that political prisoners are being released, but, in his opinion, nothing fundamentally changes in Belarus. The opposition still has no opportunity to fully operate in the country: many of its representatives have left abroad, and active participants in public life and social media users continue to be imprisoned.
Motuzas also reminded that Minsk supports Russia's war against Ukraine, and Lithuania and other neighboring countries regularly face various hybrid attacks from Belarus.
The Chairman of the parliamentary committee believes it is too early to comment in detail on a possible US-Belarusian agreement. He drew attention to the fact that recent statements by the US administration often concern the distant future, so it is still unclear how and through which routes Belarusian fertilizers could be transported.
On September 21, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington is working on a major agreement to purchase fertilizers from Belarus. According to him, this would allow American companies to buy fertilizers cheaper than they currently do from Canada.
The US imports most of the fertilizers consumed in the country, with a significant portion of supplies coming from Canada. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, global fertilizer prices rose significantly.
At the end of last year, the US lifted sanctions against Belarusian fertilizers, which were imposed at the beginning of the decade. However, opportunities to import these products remained limited due to bans on the transit of goods from Belarus.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys last week acknowledged that the positions of Lithuania and the US regarding the easing of sanctions against Belarus differ. He did not, however, mention Belarusian fertilizers.
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