Russia Spared from US Tariffs Due to Peace Talks, White House Says – While Ukraine Faces 10% Export Duty

The United States imposed sky-high tariffs on most countries in the world last week, with some notable exceptions, including Russia – due to ongoing negotiations with Moscow over ending the war in Ukraine, according to the Director of the White House National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett.

Hassett explained that Russia was excluded from the list of countries facing new tariffs because peace talks with Ukraine are still underway, and new trade disputes could jeopardize those talks. 

“There’s obviously an ongoing negotiation with Russia and Ukraine, and I think the president made the decision not to conflate the two issues,” he told ABC News.

“Russia is in the midst of negotiations over peace that affects, really, thousands and thousands of lives of people, and that’s what President Trump is focused on right now,” the White House official said when asked whether he acknowledges that Russia is exempt from new tariffs while US allies are not.

“It doesn’t mean that Russia, in the fullness of time, is going to be treated wildly different than every other country,” he added.

But Ukraine – which is also a participant in peace talks – was included in the list of countries subject to the new tariffs. A 10% duty will be applied to Ukrainian exports to the United States.

On April 2, a day US President Donald Trump deemed “Liberation Day,” he officially declared the beginning of a global trade war and announced tariffs ranging from 10% to 50% on imports, depending on the country of origin.

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On Sunday, Kyiv Post reported that US total goods trade with Russia, according to the same Office of the US Trade Representative, was an estimated $3.5 billion in 2024. 

US goods exports to Russia in 2024 were $526.1 million, down 12.3% from 2023. US goods imports from Russia totaled $3.0 billion in 2024, down 34.2% from 2023. The US goods trade deficit with Russia was $2.5 billion in 2024.

So, if we take the trade deficit of $2.5 billion and divide it by Russia’s exports to the US, $3 billion, then divide that figure by half, the tariff on Russia should be 42%.

According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, Russia mainly exported fertilizers, nuclear fuel, and some metals to the US.

OEC World trade tracker offered figures for Russia’s exports to the US in 2023: Total exports were $4.87 billion, with the top product being radioactive chemicals ($1.21 billion) and nitrogenous fertilizers ($1.04 billion).