The United States did not include Russia and Belarus in its latest round of tariffs due to existing sanctions that have already severely limited trade with the two countries, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Axios. The announcement came after President Donald Trump unveiled a sweeping set of new tariffs, which apply to nearly all countries, including Ukraine, but notably excluded Russia and Belarus.
According to Leavitt, the decision was based on the fact that current economic sanctions have largely cut off trade between the U.S. and Russia, making additional tariffs unnecessary. The Biden administration imposed harsh economic measures on Moscow following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, causing trade flows between the two countries to plummet from $36 billion in 2021 to just $3.5 billion in 2024. Other heavily sanctioned nations, including Cuba and North Korea, were also left off the tariff list.
Despite Russia's exclusion, Trump has recently hinted at the possibility of easing some sanctions on Moscow as part of efforts to broker a ceasefire and a peace agreement in Ukraine. However, he has simultaneously warned of potential secondary tariffs on Russian oil exports, expressing frustration over stalled negotiations.
Trump's new tariff policy, which was presented as a move to restore economic sovereignty and security, includes a baseline 10% tariff on all imports, with higher rates targeting major trade partners. The European Union faces a 20% duty, China 34%, and Taiwan 32%. Some countries, such as Canada and Mexico, were left out of the latest round of tariffs due to pre-existing 25% duties. Among the more unexpected additions to the list is Heard and McDonald Islands, an uninhabited Australian territory near Antarctica.
In response to the measures, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent advised foreign governments to refrain from retaliatory action. Speaking on Fox News's Special Report, he urged countries to "sit back, take it in, and see how it goes," suggesting that the current tariffs may represent a peak level of trade restrictions. Despite this warning, both the European Union and China have vowed to respond to the U.S. tariffs.