US preparing 'massive' potash deal with Belarus, Trump says
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The U.S. is working on a major agreement to purchase potash from Belarus, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sept. 21, calling it more advantageous than buying the fertilizer from Canada.
"The United States is working on a massive Deal with respect to the purchase of Potash from Belarus," Trump announced on his Truth Social media platform, calling it "very good news for our Farmers and Ranchers."
The news comes amid an apparent thaw in U.S.-Belarusian relations, accompanied by Washington easing sanctions and the Lukashenko regime releasing some of its political prisoners.
The Trump administration lifted economic restrictions on Belarusian potash exports in December 2025, leading to more than 100 political prisoners being released from Belarus, including prominent opposition figures Maria Kalesnikava and Viktor Babaryka.
In March 2026, U.S. envoy John Coale said a broader deal with Minsk could include sanctions relief and the restoration of diplomatic relations. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko had said the U.S. had proposed a "big deal" with Belarus.
Potash is one of Belarus's key exports and its most significant mineral resource, with the state-owned producer Belaruskali ranking among the world's largest suppliers.
Reports emerged in the spring of 2026 that the U.S. was also asking Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine to allow Belarusian fertilizers to transit through their territories.
Belarus, a landlocked country lodged between Ukraine, Russia, and NATO's eastern members, has been a key ally of Moscow during the all-out war, allowing Russian forces to use its territory as a staging ground for attacks on Ukraine in 2022.
Canada is the world's leading exporter of potash, accounting for over 39% of global exports as of 2024. More than half of this trade is destined for U.S. markets.
Trump's return to office led to a sharp deterioration in U.S.-Canadian economic relations, with the U.S. president imposing 50% tariffs on certain Canadian imports and Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney responding with matching tariffs on U.S. goods.
