Trump Promotes "Massive" Belarus Potash Deal to Undercut Canada

US President Donald Trump announced on social media Monday that the United States is working on a massive Deal to purchase potash from Belarus.

Trump stated the pricing would be substantially less than they are currently paying to Canada, calling it very good news for American farmers and ranchers. Potash is a potassium-rich salt mined mainly for fertilizer, used to support plant growth and increase crop yield. Canada supplies most of the potash used by American farmers, with the US importing 79 percent of its potash from Canada.

Natural Resources Canada states the United States imported $4.2 billion worth of potash in 2025, nearly half of Canada’s potash exports. Belarus is one of the world's largest producers, but the European Union bans imports of Belarusian potash and has frozen assets of state producer Belaruskali. The Trump administration lifted sanctions on two Belarusian potash fertilizer manufacturers, Belarusian Potash Company and Belaruskali, in March in exchange for the release of political prisoners.

US Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale announced on September 16 that 25 Belarusian political prisoners had been released. Belarus remains a close ally of Russia and allowed Moscow to use its territory as a staging ground for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of Belarus, is widely known as "Europe's last dictator" and has been accused of human rights abuses. A UN report in February found that his government committed crimes against humanity.