Politico: US asks Lithuania to allow Belarusian potash shipments to pass through despite sanctions


The United States is pressing Lithuania to reopen the port of Klaipėda to exports of Belarusian potash, bypassing European Union sanctions, Politico reports, citing four European officials. According to the officials, US Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale has raised with Lithuanian diplomats the possibility of easing the blockade on Belarusian goods.


Belarus controls around 20% of the global potash market, a key component in fertilizers. The United States imports virtually all the potash it uses, with approximately 80% of its supplies coming from Canada. Against the backdrop of stalled trade negotiations with Ottawa in August and a new round of reciprocal tariffs, Washington is looking for alternative sources of raw materials.


Last month, Trump said he was “working on a major deal” with Minsk to purchase potash at a “much lower price” than what American farmers currently pay Canadian companies. However, implementing the plan depends on whether fertilizers can be shipped through Klaipėda or other ports in the region.


EU sanctions prohibit ports within the bloc from handling Belarusian goods. The next extension of the restrictions is expected in February, and Lithuania, which will hold the rotating EU Council presidency during the first half of 2027, could veto the extension.


The first shipment of Belarusian potash to the United States since the lifting of US sanctions was sent on October 22. The United States imposed sanctions on Belarus's potash industry in 2021. However, several years later, in December 2025, Washington began easing sanctions against the Belarusian potash industry.


Meanwhile, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that Belarus cannot supply potash fertilizers to Western markets because all production volumes for this year have already been committed under existing contracts.