Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has acknowledged that his country lacks sufficient potash to fulfill U.S. President Donald Trump’s requests for this essential fertilizer. “Everyone keeps saying: Ah, potash! Even if we wanted to supply it to other Western markets, we simply do not have these volumes – everything is already contracted,” Lukashenko stated during a meeting with the head of Belarus’s state customs authority, as reported by News.ro citing POLITICO.
Trump mentioned that the U.S. is working on a deal to procure potash from Belarus, noting that it would be significantly cheaper than Canadian offerings. There is an escalating trade conflict between Washington and Ottawa.
“The United States is working on a large-scale agreement to purchase potash from Belarus. The price would be much lower than what we currently pay Canada, which is great news for our farmers and ranchers,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Canada is the world’s largest potash producer, with an annual output of 15 million tons, according to the United States Geological Survey. Belarus produces approximately 6 million tons, slightly more than the annual imports of the U.S., which stand at 5.6 million tons.
Lukashenko stated earlier this month that Belarus supplied potash to the U.S. for the first time since 2021. The U.S. had imposed sanctions on Belarusian fertilizers following the violent crackdown on national protests related to the 2020 fraudulent elections. These sanctions were lifted in March.
“We are now loading potash – selling it to the United States of America,” Lukashenko told reporters on September 11. However, he added that “Belarus cannot provide large volumes to the U.S. because its production is already contracted for this year.”
Americans Urge Ukraine to Open Territory for Export Transit, But Kyiv Refuses
Lukashenko did not specify how much potash had been sold to the U.S. or whether it had already been shipped. He did, however, state that Washington must first unblock Belarus’s state funds, which have been frozen at Citibank since 2022 due to additional sanctions imposed against Belarus for its support of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“First, give us our money back… $43-44 million,” Lukashenko stated earlier this month.
