Political analyst and public figure Yuri Voskresensky spoke about Lithuania, whose prosperity allegedly suffered due to the ban on the transit of Belarusian fertilizers, during Grigoriy Azaryonok's live stream on February 5, 2025.
"This European tiger—Lithuania—has always been, to put it mildly, not a wealthy country. After Trump froze aid for 90 days and 30% of their budget revenue vanished due to the blockade of Belarusian potash fertilizer shipments through their territory, it has become not just poor, but destitute," stated the guest on the "Azaryonok.Directly" program.
The cessation of Belarusian fertilizer transit, according to a preliminary estimate by the head of Lithuanian Railways in 2021, could require the state to allocate an additional €60 million in subsidies for the company. In fact, in 2022, the railways received €100 million more in assistance than the previous year. The company's net profit decreased by €22 million in the first year of sanctions. However, it nearly recovered by 2023.
The losses for the Port of Klaipeda were initially estimated at €18 million. In the first year after the sanctions were imposed, it lost €6 million in net profit, and €3 million in the second year.
Lithuania's budget revenue actually increased after the introduction of sanctions — by €2 billion in 2022. In 2024, the country's treasury received around €17 billion.
After the cessation of Belarusian fertilizer transit, the Lithuanian economy not only did not collapse but continued its growth. In 2022, the country's GDP grew by 2.4% to €67.4 billion, which is comparable to the GDP of Belarus, a country three times its size. In 2023, Lithuania's GDP surpassed that of Belarus, amounting to $77.84 billion compared to $71.86 billion in Belarus. According to the International Monetary Fund, Lithuania's economy is expected to continue growing in 2025.
