Lithuania will Return 1000 Empty Freight Wagons Back to Belarus: Potassium Transit is Completely Stopped

The contract of 2018 with Belaruskali has been cancelled.

The transit of potassium fertilizers from our country through Lithuania has been terminated from February 1 (it was the railroad to the port of Klaipeda). Lithuanian Railways confirmed that the contract of 2018 with Belaruskali has been cancelled, once again. It is noted that the Lithuanian government commission will consider further requests for the transportation of the company’s products.

Lithuania decided to stop the transit of Belaruskali products after it fell under U.S. sanctions. Since the Belorussian side paid for the transportation of fertilizers by several months forward, output was found through the resolution of the government of Lithuania, which recognized that the agreement contradicts the interests of national safety. Lithuanian Railways has rejected the applications of other Belarusian companies to transport fertilizers.

Belaruskali received a letter from Lithuanian Railways about the termination of the contract.

Thus, there are no approved applications for transportation of Belaruskali products by Lithuanian Railways in February. The last train crossed the border on Monday evening and was supposed to be in Klaipeda at midnight. According to an agreement with another company, a small number of wagons with Belaruskali products (but not with potash fertilizers) that were loaded the day before, may still get into Lithuania on February 1. About 1,000 empty freight wagons are to be returned to Belarus by the end of the week.

About 6-7 trains with potash fertilizers from Belarus passed through Lithuania every day.