Lithuanian President strongly opposes transport of Ukrainian grain through Belarus

Nausėda said that Belarusian dictator Lukashenko made it clear that he supports Russian military aggression against Ukraine, which means that the transportation of goods through this country is out of the question.

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“In my opinion, the situation has only worsened recently, and Lukashenko has shown that he supports Vladimir Putin's heinous aggression,” Nausėda said.

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“My opinion and assessment are still the same – we need to look for other alternative solutions.”

Lithuanian president also mentioned that he doesn’t see the possibility of resuming the transit of Belarusian fertilizers through Lithuania as well – a condition set by Lukashenko for the proposed grain transport scheme.

"The European Union was very clear in its decision to impose sanctions on fertilizers and Lithuania has followed that decision,” commented Nausėda.

"Should we now just close our eyes and say that Lukashenko suddenly became a much more acceptable leader or did something good, so we should lift these sanctions?”

At the moment, grain and other products from Ukraine are delivered to Klaipeda, in Lithuania, through Poland.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has also come out against the proposed idea.

Read also: Russia’s war on global food security

Earlier this month, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine can export grain through Belarus. But in order for this to happen, the sanctions against Belarus and its leader must be lifted first.

Ukrainian ports for grain export are currently blocked or occupied by the Russian Armed Forces and Navy. More than 20 million tons of grain can’t be delivered to its main consumers – African and Asian countries, sparking worries of a food crisis.

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Belarus has been used as a staging ground in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as serving as a safe location for Russian missile launchers.