September 21, Pozirk. The United States is working on a massive deal with respect to the purchase of potash from Belarus, US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on September 21.
“The pricing would be for substantially less than we are currently paying to Canada, very good news for our Farmers and Ranchers,” the post says. “Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
While meeting with Uładzimir Arłoŭski, head of the State Customs Committee, earlier on Monday, Alaksandar Łukašenka said that Belarus cannot supply large volumes of potash fertilizers to the United States because its output has already been pledged to other countries under contracts for 2026.
“Even if we wanted to supply [potash] to other, western markets, we simply don’t have those volumes as everything is already reserved,” his press office quoted him as saying.
According to Arłoŭski, eastern countries, most notably Russia and China, currently account for 85 percent of Belarusian exports and imports.
Minsk and Washington have been discussing possible potash exports to the United States as part of their talks that have resulted in the release of hundreds of Belarusian political prisoners and the removal of some US sanctions against Belarus.
On September 16, Minsk freed 25 political prisoners following a meeting between Łukašenka and John Coale, the US special envoy for Belarus, in exchange for Washington lifting sanctions on Belarusian Timber, Woodworking, Pulp and Paper Industry Concern (Biellespapierapram) and AAT Łakafarba, a state-owned producer of paints and varnishes.
Coale had reportedly hoped to secure the release of 200 to 300 political prisoners, while Łukašenka said that he was open to both “small and grand bargains” with the US president, including agreements on shipments of Belarusian potash fertilizers.
During his previous visit to Minsk, which took place in March, Coale negotiated the release of 250 political prisoners. Fifteen were taken out of the country, while the rest were allowed to stay in Belarus.
