President Donald Trump did not impose new tariffs on Russian or Belarusian goods because US sanctions already “preclude any meaningful trade,” White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt told Axios.
Meanwhile, Trump imposed a 10% “base” tariff on Ukraine and longtime ally, the UK.
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According to the US Department of Commerce, trade between Russia and the United States had dropped sharply since before the Russian-Ukrainian war.
In 2021, trade between the two nations totaled about $36 billion, but by 2024, it had fallen to just $3.5 billion – the lowest level since 1992, the Office of the US Trade Representative reported.
Despite this, the US still trades more with Russia than with some countries on US President Donald Trump’s tariff list, including Mauritius and Brunei.
The restrictions even apply to remote territories like Tokelau (population 1,500), a dependent territory of New Zealand, and Svalbard (population 2,500), under Norwegian jurisdiction.
Cuba, Belarus, and North Korea were also excluded from the new tariffs. Leavitt said these countries already face high tariffs and strict sanctions.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent echoed this in an interview with Fox News, saying US trade with Russia and Belarus is already restricted due to sanctions, making additional tariffs unnecessary.
A White House official, speaking anonymously to The New York Times, said Russia, Belarus, Cuba, and North Korea “already face extremely high tariffs, and our existing sanctions block any significant trade with them.”
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Trump announced on April 2 that he was imposing tariffs on goods from countries around the world, including China, Japan, and Taiwan.
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