Lithuania defies U.S. pressure to facilitate Belarusian potash exports
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REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko
Washington is trying to persuade Lithuania to resume exports
of Belarusian
potash fertilizer through its Baltic Sea port of Klaipeda, effectively
weakening European sanctions against the regime of Alexander Lukashenko, Politico
reported on Oct. 30.
Donald Trump’s administration is interested in alternatives
to Canadian fertilizer, given the ongoing trade war between the two countries.
According to four European officials, John Coale, the U.S.
special envoy to Belarus, has stepped up contacts with Lithuanian diplomats in
recent weeks. He has discussed possibly easing restrictions on trade in
Belarusian goods, including potash fertilizer.
Current European Union sanctions prohibit European ports
from handling Belarusian products. However, the measures must be renewed every
12 months to remain in force.
Lithuania, which is scheduled to assume the European Union’s
rotating presidency early next year, could theoretically block the sanctions’
next renewal, scheduled for February. If that happens, the restrictions would
expire. Vilnius remains one of Ukraine’s most consistent allies among EU member
states.
“They are pressing politely, but we say very clearly ‘fuck
no,” Politico quoted an unnamed Eastern European official.
“If Americans are not able to learn from history then we
have to stand the ground.”
Politico reported that Coale has been seeking concessions
from the Lithuanian government for more than a year, since his first visit to
Minsk. Washington has also discussed transporting Belarusian potash through
Klaipeda and other Baltic ports, including Riga. Such a route would be simpler
than shipping the fertilizer through Russia.
Eastern European countries are concerned that easing
sanctions against Lukashenko’s regime would strengthen its international
standing and give it more opportunities to persecute and imprison political
opponents.
Another source cited by Politico questioned the economic
rationale for such arrangements. The source said it remains unclear whether
there is sufficient global demand for Belarusian potash fertilizer, given
Canada’s dominance of the market.
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