U.S. is demanding that Ukraine lift restrictions on Belarusian fertilizers

Potash, a soil nutrient used to boost crop yields, was a major source of foreign exchange earnings for Belarus before Western sanctions - imposed due to political repression and Moscow’s support in the war against Ukraine crushed exports, Bloomberg reports.

The U.S. believes that lifting the restrictions could help create some distance between Belarus and Russia and improve relations with Minsk.

Earlier this year, the U.S. already lifted some of its own restrictions on fertilizer imports from Belarus as part of an agreement under which Lukashenko’s regime released hundreds of political prisoners.

However, without the lifting of European sanctions, the effect of this is limited by the fact that Belarus cannot use its traditional shipping routes through Baltic Sea terminals and is forced to rely on Russian ports and railways. Countries such as Poland and Lithuania play a key role in transit.

Photo: mining.com.