Trump says US is working on deal to purchase potash from Belarus
NTR•Belarus seeks access to frozen funds
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia, said on September 11 that his country resumed selling potash to the United States following the lifting of US sanctions. Lukashenko said he wants Washington to return over $40 million that is "stuck" in the US banking system, however.
Belarus and Russia are major potash producers, but sanctions and the closing of a key port on Lithuania's Baltic coast have made those supplies expensive to ship to the US through Russia's Arctic. The US is still receiving potash exports from Russia, but the overwhelming majority of supply comes from nearby Canada.
Canada remains the main source of US potash
The announcement signals Trump's willingness to use alternative suppliers as leverage in his trade disputes with Canada, which supplies the vast majority of US potash imports. It could also mark a further thaw in Washington's relations with Belarus after the lifting of sanctions.
