Lukashenko Schemes to Alter Primary Goods Transportation from Latvian and Lithuanian Harbor Hubs towards Russia
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced on November 9 that his country is planning to re-direct most of its cargo flow from Lithuanian and Latvian seaports to seaports in Russia's Leningrad province. The announcement was made during a meeting with Aleksandr Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad province, in Minsk.
The specific seaports in Russia's Leningrad province that Belarus plans to use have not been identified. Lukashenko mentioned that this offer would be offset by a volume of "tens of millions of tons" of Belarusian cargoes. Drozdenko is willing to offer fair rates for transporting various goods between Russia and Belarus through Russian seaports.
Lukashenko stated that Russia's President backed this initiative unambiguously and suggested that Russia offer Belarus discounts on the transportation of its cargoes to the seaports and their transshipment. The government's news agency BelTA quoted Lukashenka as saying that Minsk has made a decision to divert potash fertilizer shipments to Russian seaports. Lukashenko indicated that Russia would be pleased to receive millions of tons of Belarusian shipments.
This decision comes amidst ongoing tensions between Belarus and the European Union, following incidents like the Ryanair Flight 4978 diversion in 2021, which led to bans on Belarusian flights over EU airspace and suspensions of Belavia flights to Lithuanian airports. As a result, Belarus has increased flights between Minsk and various Russian cities, including Saint Petersburg in the Leningrad region.
Since mid-2025, border controls and freight traffic restrictions have tightened on routes between Lithuania, Poland, and Latvia, with freight currently diverted into specific crossings causing delays. This suggests that Belarus may be seeking alternative transport routes to avoid these restrictions.
However, no confirmed public data confirms Belarus formally diverting cargo shipments from Lithuanian and Latvian seaports to Russia’s Leningrad province by seaway. Further monitoring of official trade, transport ministry releases, and bilateral negotiation statements from Belarus, Russia, Lithuania, and Latvia would be necessary for comprehensive and authoritative insight.
In a separate development, the Council of Cooperation with Belarus has been set up in Lithuania, aiming to promote economic and cultural ties between the two countries. The National Bank Head has stated that there is no need to change the refinance rate at the moment, providing some stability in the economic sphere.
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