No potash for U.S.: Lukashenko says Belarus has already sold it all

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Monday appeared to pour cold water on President Donald Trump's statement that he was working toward a deal with Minsk to buy potash amid an ongoing trade row with Canada.

Potash is a potassium-rich salt used as fertilizer. Trump touted the prospective purchase as a way to secure supplies for farmers at a discount, despite the tense trade talks with Canada. But Lukasehnko suggested that Minsk simply had no potash to sell the U.S.

“Even if we wanted to supply potash to other destinations, to Western markets, we simply do not have the volumes for that — all of it has already been sold under contract,” he told reporters, according to TodayPress TV.

Earlier in the day, Trump posted on Truth Social that the two countries were working toward a deal.

"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," he said.

Belarus is a close ally of Russia and has allowed Moscow to use its territory in the invasion of Ukraine.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.