Lithuania faces US pressure to allow transit of Belarusian fertilizers, foreign minister admits

Lithuania’s foreign minister has acknowledged receiving pressure from the United States to permit the transit of Belarusian fertilizers through the country, LRT reports, citing sources from a closed-door meeting with the Social Democratic Party.

Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys confirmed during a private session with the Social Democratic faction on Wednesday that the US is applying pressure to allow the shipment of Belarusian fertilizers via Lithuania. Multiple anonymous participants in the meeting verified to the Baltic News Service (BNS) that Budrys explicitly used the word “pressure.”

The minister clarified that this pressure extends beyond Lithuania to other regional states that could serve as transit routes, though Lithuania remains the most attractive option for transporting the fertilizers to Baltic Sea ports, according to BNS sources.

Budrys outlined previous US attempts to negotiate transit conditions, including proposals for American companies to purchase the fertilizers from Belarusian producer Belaruskalij within Belarus, effectively rebranding them as US goods. Another considered scenario involved framing the shipments as humanitarian aid. However, Lithuanian officials maintain that EU sanctions—extended earlier this year—continue to block any such transit.

Lithuania halted the transit of Belarusian potash fertilizers in February 2022, following US sanctions imposed in 2021 on Belaruskalij over human rights violations, repression of civil society, and disputed presidential elections in Belarus. The US lifted these sanctions in 2026 after the release of some political prisoners by Alexander Lukashenko’s regime.

Budrys warned the Social Democrats that bilateral relations with Belarus are deteriorating, as Minsk is leveraging its improved ties with the US to increase pressure on Lithuania.