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 initiated a global trade war.
The American President announced customs duties on imports from over 180 countries, but the two former Soviet nations are not on the list. Trump called the day of implementing the tariffs «The Day of USA’s Liberation.»
The US Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, and the 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 because of existing economic sanctions.
«These countries are already facing extremely high tariffs, and the previously imposed sanctions prevent any significant trade with them,» a White House official told The New York Times. However, Leavitt emphasized that Russia could receive «harsh additional sanctions» in the future.
Despite this fact, other sanctioned countries, such as Iran and Syria, have been included on the list of additional tariffs. Additionally, remote islands such as Tokelau, Svalbard, and the uninhabited territories of Heard Island and McDonald Islands of Australia have been targeted by the new tariffs.
The US-Russia Trade Relationship
Russian exports to the US have decreased by 90% since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, reaching only $3.5 billion in 2024, the lowest level since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The delivery of Russian oil to the US was completely eliminated in 2023.
In this context, Trump has repeatedly suggested the possibility of restarting trade between the US and Russia, especially as his administration tries to broker a peace agreement in Ukraine. However, on Sunday, the US president threatened to impose tariffs of up to 50% on any country that buys Russian oil if the Kremlin blocks negotiations for a ceasefire.
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, special envoy of the US president, in Washington.
This was the first official visit of a Kremlin representative to the United States since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The US 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, as reported by News Week.
Jon Cooper, former leader in the Suffolk County legislature in New York, posted on Twitter:
«Can someone explain to me why Russia is almost the only country — if not the ONLY one — exempt from Trump’s tariffs?»
Michael McFaul, former US Ambassador to Russia during the Obama administration, stated:
«I hope the American people receive an explanation for this. It seems outrageous to me.»
Details, HERE.