Donald Trump did not add Russia to the list of 180 nations now facing retaliatory tariffs, despite including of US allies and war-torn Ukraine. Following the US president’s “Liberation Day” announcement, a White House official told Washington DC outlet NOTUS’ that Russia was spared due to existing sanctions over the war, which have effectively nullified trade between the two countries.
However, Kyiv is now bracing for a 10% retaliatory tariff, along with numerous other nations once part of the Soviet Union. The White House has been quick to justify its decision to exclude Russia from the sweeping new tariffs that take effect today. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained to Axios that current US sanctions against Moscow have already cut off any significant trade, making additional tariffs redundant.
President Trump had previously warned of imposing tariffs on Russian crude oil and expressed his anger towards Vladimir Putin’s remarks on Ukraine, stating he was “p***** off”.
Despite this, Ms Leavitt hinted that Russia might still be subjected to “additional strong sanctions”.
As well as Russia, North Korea, Cuba, and Belarus, were also left out from the latest wave of tariffs aimed at what the Trump administration calls the “worst offenders” in terms of trade barriers.
A White House official told The Hill that the four nations “are not subject to the Reciprocal Tariff Executive Order because they are already facing extremely high tariffs, and our previously imposed sanctions preclude any meaningful trade with these countries”.
Last month, Mr Trump indicated he is considering further sanctions and tariffs on Russia as a strategy to coerce Moscow into negotiations to halt the conflict in Ukraine.
Subsequently, Russia anticipated that the US would relax some sanctions as part of a deal for a limited ceasefire with Ukraine.
During his speech in the White House Rose Garden, the US president said that US taxpayers have been “ripped off for 50 years” and declared it’s “not going to happen anymore”.
He added: “[The US has been] looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike.”
The Republican said “hardworking American citizens” have been forced to “sit on the sidelines as other nations got rich and powerful”.
He claimed this day would mark the beginning of a new “golden age of America” as the country will be “reborn”.
