US announces lifting of sanctions on potash exports from Belarus
13 December 22:12
Washington is lifting restrictions on Belarusian potash, which accounted for a fifth of global exports of this fertilizer before the introduction of sanctions in 2021. This statement was made by the US Special Representative to Belarus John Cole, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
“In accordance with President [Donald] Trump’s instructions, the United States is lifting sanctions on potash. I think this is a very good move by the US for Belarus. We are lifting them now,” he said.
According to Trump’s special representative, negotiations on sanctions against Minsk will continue.
“As relations between the two countries normalize, more and more sanctions will be lifted,” Cole said.
Trump’s envoy arrived in Minsk on December 12. On Friday and Saturday, the American delegation led by Cole held closed-door talks with President Alexander Lukashenko. According to BelTA, the meeting, according to the American side, was “very productive.” During the talks, the delegations discussed, among other things, the war in Ukraine and the situation in Venezuela. Cole also expressed hope that in the future, the United States and Belarus would be able to reach an agreement to lift all sanctions.
In August 2021, the United States imposed restrictions on the state-owned enterprise Belaruskali in connection with the suppression of mass protests in 2020 by the Belarusian authorities. These were the first sectoral sanctions against the Belarusian economy, which included a ban on entering into new contracts with Belarusian potash producers and exporters. The sanctions came into effect in December of the same year, forcing Minsk to reorient its supplies to Asian markets and sell products at a discount.
Before the US restrictions, which were followed by the European Union, Belarus was one of the main exporters of potassium chloride to global markets. In its best years, exports to more than 100 countries reached 12 million tons of the fertilizer, accounting for about 20% of global exports. Sales of the material by Belaruskali were a significant source of tax revenues and foreign exchange reserves for the republic. A year before the coronavirus pandemic, according to statistics, potash fertilizer sales brought Belarus $2.8 billion (more than 4% of GDP and 7% of total export revenue).
In February 2025, The New York Times reported that the United States and Belarus could strike a “grand bargain” in which Minsk would release a number of political prisoners in exchange for Washington easing sanctions on Belarusian banks and potassium chloride.
In September, after the previous visit of the American delegation to Belarus, more than 50 political prisoners were released and subsequently deported. At the same time, the lifting of sanctions against Belavia was announced.
