Trump seeks fertilizer deal with Russia ally Belarus amid Canadian tensions

Trump seeks fertilizer deal with Russia ally Belarus amid Canadian tensions - The Washington Post

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Trump seeks fertilizer deal with Russia ally Belarus amid Canadian tensions

The proposed potash purchases would expand trade with a country that helped Moscow launch its invasion of Ukraine.

September 21, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. EDTToday at 4:15 p.m. EDT

*The Trump administration says it is shifting potash purchases to lower the cost of fertilizer for American farmers. (Ellen Schmidt/AP)*

PoliticsChevron right

By Michael Birnbaum

The United States is seeking to broker a deal to purchase fertilizer from Belarus and rely less on Canada, the U.S. ally with which the White House has repeatedly tangled, President Donald Trump said Monday.

“The United States is working on a massive Deal with respect to the purchase of Potash from Belarus,” Trump posted on social media, referring to a type of fertilizer for which Canada dominates the market. “The pricing would be for substantially less than we are currently paying to Canada, very good news for our Farmers and Ranchers,” he wrote.

The United States is the main importer of potash from Canada, which supplies about a third of the global market. Russia and Belarus are the other top global exporters.

The European Union has banned potash exports from landlocked Belarus since 2022, and Trump’s special envoy to Belarus, John Coale, did not sway the bloc’s stance on the export ban during a trip to Europe last week. So any increase in U.S. imports of Belarusian potash would need to pass through Russian ports.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Allies of Ukraine have tried to minimize trade with Russia and Belarus since the 2022 full-scale invasion, which the Kremlin launched from Belarusian territory. Belarus has generally tried to stay close to Russia while avoiding direct involvement in the Ukraine war. Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have explored business deals with Russia as part of facilitating an end to the conflict, which has intensified in recent weeks.

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What readers are saying

The comments express strong disapproval of President Trump's decision to pursue a fertilizer deal with Belarus, a country led by a dictator and aligned with Russia. Many commenters criticize Trump for alienating Canada, a key ally, in favor of engaging with authoritarian regimes,... Show more

This summary is AI-generated. AI can make mistakes and this summary is not a replacement for reading the comments.

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