Lithuanian foreign minister discusses Ukraine grain, Belarus sanctions with EU officials

May 22, BPN. Lithuania’s top diplomat has discussed sanctions against Belarus and Russia, and grain exports from Ukraine, with EU officials in Brussels, according to the Lithuanian foreign ministry

Gabrielius Landsbergis spoke with European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, who oversees economy, and European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen.

Landsbergis told Dombrovskis that the EU should make every effort “to open up even more supply routes for Ukrainian grain.”

Discussing the sanctions on Belarus with Urpilainen, Landsbergis said that exemptions are “not the best way to deal with food safety issues.”

He urged the EU not to trust Russia’s and Belarus’ narratives that “world food shortages are caused by sanctions on fertilizer companies.” “This is not true,” Landsbergis stressed.

Landsbergis had repeatedly warned against easing sanctions against Alaksandr Łukašenka’s regime. Ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Councils, he said that some states had suggested that Biełaruśkalij and the Belarusian Potash Company should be exempted.

Potash fertilizers are a major export and source of foreign currency for the Belarusian economy. Biełaruśkalij, one of the world’s largest producers of potash fertilizers, has been under sanctions since 2021.