Trump deals with ‘Europe's last dictator’ in Belarus
Sep. 28, 2026
Q: President Donald Trump said last week that he wanted to buy potash fertilizer from Russian ally Belarus for “substantially less” than from Canada, a long-time U.S. ally. However, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, sometimes called "Europe's last dictator," said his nation didn’t have enough potash fertilizer available to satisfy Trump’s demands. Where is Belarus, a landlocked country on Russia’s western border?
Circle the area on this map
Q: While the Trump administration engaged in a trade war with Canada, the largest potash producer, it eased economic sanctions on Belarus, which helped Russia launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Lukashenko released some of his more than 1,400 political prisoners after U.S. sanctions were eased. Belarus is considered less free than Russia. Which Russian neighbor ranks as the world’s freest nation?
A. China
B. Estonia
C. Finland
D. Norway
Q: Belarusians elected Lukashenko president in 1994 in what is considered the nation’s first and only free election since Belarus emerged as an independent nation after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Before the Soviets, the country was ruled by …
A. Lithuanians
B. Poles
C. Russians
D. All of the above
Q: Lithuania and Poland resisted U.S. requests to allow Belarus to ship its potash fertilizer through their ports because of European Union (EU) sanctions. Lithuania and Poland are members of the EU and the NATO military alliance of 30 European nations, Canada, and the United States. Which NATO member spent the biggest share of its economy on defense?
A. Lithuania
B. Poland
C. Norway
D. United States
Q: Ukraine and Russia fire hundreds of explosive drones at each other every week. What nation has been hit by some of those drones that went astray?
A. Belarus
B. Lithuania
C. Poland
D. All of the above
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