– US President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs targeting almost every country with at least 10% tariffs, but notably excluded Russia and North Korea.
By Aniket Chakraborty
Apr 4, 2025
Image Credit | @WhiteHouse | X
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained that existing sanctions already prohibit "meaningful trade" with these nations, making additional tariffs unnecessary.
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Despite this rationale, the US continues to trade more with Russia than with countries like Mauritius and Brunei, which were included on Trump's tariff list.
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US-Russia trade has dramatically decreased from $35 billion in 2021 to just $3.5 billion last year following sanctions after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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Russia has reportedly asked the US to roll back some sanctions as part of failed ceasefire negotiations in Ukraine.
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Trump recently threatened to impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil and expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin's position on Ukraine.
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Leavitt emphasized that Russia could still face "additional strong sanctions" despite being exempted from the current tariff list.
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Even tiny territories like Tokelau (population 1,500) in the South Pacific and Svalbard (population 2,500) in the Arctic Circle were included in Trump's tariff plan.
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Image Credit | @WhiteHouse | X
Cuba and Belarus joined North Korea in receiving exemptions because they already face high tariffs and sanctions, according to the White House.
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Canada and Mexico were the only major economies exempted from the new tariffs because they already face 25% tariffs imposed by Trump previously.