Russia and Belarus are among the few countries that have avoided the new tariffs imposed on Wednesday, April 2nd, by the Trump administration, while the United States has triggered a global trade war.
The American President announced customs duties on imports from over 180 countries, but the two ex-Soviet nations are not on the list. Trump called the day of introducing tariffs “US Liberation Day”.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained that Russia and Belarus, along with long-standing adversaries of the US such as North Korea and Cuba, are not affected by the new tariffs due to existing economic sanctions.
“These countries are already facing extremely high tariffs, and previous sanctions prevent any significant trade with them,” a White House official told The New York Times. However, Leavitt emphasized that Russia could face “additional tough sanctions” in the future.
Despite this, other sanctioned countries, such as Iran and Syria, have been included on the list of additional tariffs. Distant islands, such as Tokelau, Svalbard, and Australia’s uninhabited territories of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, have also been targeted by the new tariffs.
The US-Russia Trade Relationship
Russian exports to the US have dropped by 90% since the start of the war in Ukraine, reaching only $3.5 billion in 2024, the lowest level since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russian oil deliveries to the US were completely eliminated in 2023.
In this context, Trump has repeatedly suggested the possibility of a revival of US-Russia trade, especially while his administration attempts to broker a peace deal in Ukraine. However, on Sunday, the American President threatened to impose tariffs of up to 50% on any country that purchases Russian oil if the Kremlin blocks negotiations to end the war.
On the same day that Trump announced the new tariffs, Kirill Dmitriev, one of Vladimir Putin’s closest advisors and the head of Russia’s sovereign investment fund, met with Steve Witkoff, the US president’s special envoy.
This was the first official visit by a representative of the Kremlin to the United States since the start of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine in 2022.
The US has been criticized for excluding Russia from the tariff list
The exclusion of Russia from the list of tariffs imposed by the US has been strongly criticized by experts and American politicians, writes News Week.
Jon Cooper, former leader of the Suffolk County legislature in New York, posted on Twitter:
“Can someone please explain to me why Russia is the only country – if not THE only one – exempt from Trump’s tariffs?”
Michael McFaul, former US ambassador to Russia during the Obama administration, said:
“I hope the American people get an explanation for this. It seems outrageous to me.”
Details, HERE