From the Guardian · Agence France-Presse · · 1m 40s
Trump pivots to Belarus for fertiliser as Canada trade war escalates
The US president says he is negotiating a major potash deal with Belarus, moving away from Canada amid a trade dispute and toward a Russian ally.
In brief
The US president says he is negotiating a major potash deal with Belarus, moving away from Canada amid a trade dispute and toward a Russian ally. Donald Trump announced he is pursuing a major fertiliser deal with Belarus instead of Canada, citing lower prices, as he escalates his trade war with the long-term US ally…
Trump announces Belarus fertiliser deal
President Donald Trump said on Monday he is working on a massive deal to buy potash from Belarus, moving away from Canada as the main supplier.
Prices would be substantially lower
Trump said the pricing from Belarus would be substantially less than the US currently pays to Canada, describing it as very good news for American farmers and ranchers.
“The pricing would be for substantially less than we are currently paying to Canada, very good news for our farmers and ranchers.”
Canada is the top potash supplier
In 2024, seventy-nine percent of US potash imports came from Canada, eleven percent from Russia and four percent from Belarus, according to the US Geological Survey.
Trump escalates trade war with Canada
Trump has stepped up his trade war with Canada in recent weeks, a long-term US ally and the country's biggest supplier of potash used in fertiliser manufacturing.
US thawing relations with Belarus
Washington has quietly moved to thaw relations with Belarus under Trump's second administration. Last week, Belarus freed twenty-five political prisoners as the US lifted sanctions on two companies.
Exiled opposition warns deal is risky
Belarus's exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya warned on Monday that any deal with President Alexander Lukashenko was very risky, saying potash income funds repression and Russia's war machine.
“Our position is that it is not time to trade with the regime while all the income from potash goes to repression, goes to support of the Russian war machine.”
The essence
Donald Trump announced he is pursuing a major fertiliser deal with Belarus instead of Canada, citing lower prices, as he escalates his trade war with the long-term US ally.
