Миндаугас Синкявичюс. Фото: канцелярия Сейма Литвы
Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius has said that the United States is not pressuring Vilnius to resume the transit of Belarusian potash fertilizers through the port of Klaipėda. He described reports of such efforts as an “attempt to take the temperature” and gauge the reaction of European Union countries, Elta reports.
“Nobody is actually pressuring us. I have not felt any pressure from our strategic partners, the United States. I think these are rather (…) some behind-the-scenes discussions, possibly an attempt to take the temperature and gauge the reaction of European Union countries, including Lithuania. But nobody is putting pressure on us, either in writing or verbally. And even if they did, we are an independent country pursuing our own policy and aware of both the threats and the reasons behind these sanctions,” Sinkevičius told reporters on Friday, October 30.
“We are free to make our own decisions. Advice is welcome, and so are requests, but we make the decisions ourselves, and for now we have no plans to review our sanctions policy,” he said.
Earlier, Politico reported, citing four European officials, that US Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale had in recent weeks asked Lithuanian diplomats about the possibility of easing restrictions on the transit of Belarusian goods. According to the publication, the US side is seeking to reduce its dependence on potash fertilizer supplies from Canada, which accounts for about 80% of US imports of the product.
Politico also reported that Coale had been raising the issue at various levels of the Lithuanian government for more than a year. In addition to Klaipėda, the US side had explored the possibility of transporting Belarusian potash through other Baltic ports, including Riga.