Belarus sent the first shipment of potash to the US in four years via a Russian port

Belarus has shipped its first shipment of potash fertilizers to the United States in four years after the easing of US sanctions on the Belarusian potash industry.

The Financial Times reports.

A Belarusian potash company loaded 30,000 tonnes of granular potassium chloride onto a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel at the Russian port of Bronka in St Petersburg on September 15.

The vessel is heading to New Orleans and is expected to arrive there within the next few weeks.

This is the first shipment of Belarusian potash to the United States since Washington began easing sanctions on the industry. The easing of restrictions was linked to the release of Belarusian political prisoners.

At the same time, European sanctions remain in place, preventing Belarus from using the port of Klaipeda, which was previously the shortest route for exporting potash to the Baltic Sea.

Because of this, Minsk is forced to transport products via a longer route through Russia and ship them from Russian ports.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump stated that Washington is working on a major deal to purchase Belarusian potash, which should be cheaper than Canadian.

Earlier, it became known that Lithuania will not open the port of Klaipeda for Belarusian potash despite US plans.