No potash deal with Belarus yet, US envoy indicates

September 23, Pozirk. There is nothing concrete to say about Belarusian potash exports to the United States, US Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale said in an interview with Russia’s Dozhd. 

According to Coale, the issue of potash exports is under discussion during his talks with Alaksandar Łukašenka, but there are no specific results yet. However, the talks are moving in the right direction, he said. 

On September 21, US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that the United States is “working on a massive deal with respect to the purchase of potash from Belarus.” “The pricing would be for substantially less than we are currently paying to Canada, very good news for our Farmers and Ranchers,” the post said.

Earlier that day, Alaksandar Łukašenka said that Belarus cannot supply large volumes of potash fertilizers to the United States because its output has already been pledged to other countries under contracts for 2026.

On September 22, Trump told reporters that a “potash deal” with Belarus would benefit the Unites States and denied that it would strengthen Russia’s hand in its war against Ukraine. “Belarus has a lot of potash and our farmers need good prices and we want to get a lower price in Canada. We will continue to go with Canada, but Belarus would like to sell it for a much lower price,” Trump said during a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week.

Deividas Matulionis, national security advisor to the Lithuanian president, told LRT Radio that the Baltic states are not making concessions to the United States regarding the transit of Belarusian potash through their territory. ​“Any violation of EU sanctions would have a moral aspect, as well as legal and financial ones…It would be a kind of moral humiliation,” Matulionis warned. 

Minsk and Washington have been discussing possible potash exports to the United States as part of their talks that have resulted in the release of hundreds of Belarusian political prisoners and the removal of some US sanctions against Belarus.

Economy Politics

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EU countries will now allow Belarusian potash through their territory, Cichanoŭskaja says

September 23, Pozirk. The European Union's stance on Belarus is firm and principled, and EU countries will not allow Belarusian potash purchased by the United States to pass through their territory, Belarus' pro-democracy leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja told Deutsche Welle.  Cichanoŭskaja stressed that "now isn't the time …

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