Lithuania: Belarus Potash Transit Would Be 'Moral Humiliation'
"Any violation of EU sanctions would have a moral aspect -- as well as a legal and financial one… It would be a kind of moral humiliation," national security adviser Deividas Matulionis told a radio station.
US President Donald Trump said Monday that Washington was working on a major deal to purchase Belarusian fertilizer. Before sanctions took effect, Belarus shipped potash through Lithuania to the port of Klaipeda, leaving open questions about how new shipments could reach international markets while EU restrictions remain in place.
Matulionis said a US-Belarus deal would not necessarily require transit through Lithuania, and pushed back on the notion that Washington was pressuring Vilnius to permit it. "We know that America is interested in cheap Belarusian fertiliser and this has been discussed," he said. "It is not the case that someone is imposing conditions or putting pressure on us."
He said the matter came up during discussions with US Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale during his visit to Vilnius last week, though he characterized the exchange as an inquiry into Lithuania's position rather than a demand.
Matulionis added that Lithuania did not want US purchases routed through Russia, since doing so would generate revenue for Moscow. He said regional countries had held a common position on the matter and that he saw no signs of concessions on transit.
EU sanctions on Belarusian fertilizer are set to expire at the end of February unless renewed, according to the radio station.
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