American President Donald Trump announced on Monday, on his platform, Truth Social, that he is preparing a “massive” potassium acquisition deal – a mineral mainly used in the production of fertilizers – from Belarus, a Russian ally state.
Trump argued that the prices offered by Belarus would be more advantageous than those currently paid to Canada, the main supplier of potassium to the United States, reports AFP, cited by Agerpres.
“The prices would be significantly lower than what we pay to Canada today,” the American leader stated.
The announcement comes in the context of escalating trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa.
The United States imports almost the entire quantity of potassium necessary for the agricultural industry.
In 2024, 79% of imports came from Canada, followed by Russia (11%) and Belarus (4%), according to data from the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which began in 2022, resulted in a sharp increase in potassium prices. Although these have subsequently fallen, the level remains high, maintaining pressure on the global fertilizer market.
We remind that Belarus has recently released 25 detainees in exchange for a further relaxation of US sanctions, and the US envoy, John Coale, stated to Reuters that a few hundred more could be released within a month.