Trump says potash deal with Belarus in works amid trade war with Canada - National Post

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting in the Oval Office on Sept. 2. Photo by Kevin Dietsch /Getty ImagesArticle contentPresident Donald Trump said the U.S. is working with Belarus to secure more supplies of potash amid a trade fight with Canada, a major supplier of the critical ingredient used in fertilizers.

“The United States is working on a massive Deal with respect to the purchase of Potash from Belarus,” Trump said in a social media post Monday. “The pricing would be for substantially less than we are currently paying to Canada, very good news for our Farmers and Ranchers.”

However, Belarus has historically been a much smaller potash supplier to the U.S., and shipments out of the country could also face logistical hurdles. Belarus, prior to U.S. trade restrictions, shipped over 700,000 tons of potassium fertilizers to the U.S. in 2021. That’s a fraction of the roughly 13 million tons that the U.S. imported in 2025, with nearly 90 per cent coming from Canada, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Trump’s comments come amid an escalating trade war with Canada that has seen the two countries impose tit-for-tat tariffs on imports. Trump’s levies, though, don’t apply to some of the most significant natural resources the U.S. buys from Canada, such as oil, potash and critical minerals — an indication of their importance to the U.S. economy.

The world’s largest reserves of potash, which is mined, are located in Saskatchewan. Shares of Canadian fertilizer producer Nutrien Ltd. dropped as much as 5.2 per cent, while Tampa-based Mosaic Co. fell 5.9 per cent intraday before paring losses. The two companies dominate North American potash production via their joint venture Canpotex.

Whether Trump will be able to tap additional supplies is unclear. Belarus doesn’t have enough capacity to supply large volumes to the U.S., because production for the year is already under contract, President Alexander Lukashenko said earlier on Monday. The transport of Belarusian fertilizers has also faced logistical hurdles in recent years, after Lithuania’s rail system ended its contract with state-run Belaruskali OAO in 2022.