Russia and Belarus not included in US tariffs. Trump gives reason

US President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on many countries around the world, setting a minimum rate of 10%. Ukraine has also been included in the new tariffs, but russia, North Korea, Cuba and Belarus are not on the list.

As White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained in a comment to the Axios portal, this is due to the fact that current US sanctions already “preclude any meaningful trade” with these countries.

The media notes that Washington continues to maintain a larger trade turnover with russia than with some countries included in the tariff list, in particular with Mauritius and Brunei.

Even remote and sparsely populated territories, such as Tokelau (about 1,500 inhabitants) in the South Pacific and Svalbard (about 2,500 people) beyond the Arctic Circle, belonging to New Zealand and Norway, respectively, were included in the list.

Leavitt also noted that russia could still face “additional strong sanctions.”

In addition, Canada and Mexico were excluded from the list. The spokeswoman confirmed that this happened because Trump had already imposed 25% tariffs on these countries.

Recall that, according to the US Chamber of Commerce, the volume of trade between the US and russia has decreased significantly: if in 2021 it amounted to about USD 35 billion, then last year it fell to USD 3.5 billion. US exports of goods to russia in 2024 amounted to USD 526.1 million, which is 12.3% (USD 73.5 million) less than in 2023.

Recall that US President Donald Trump officially launched a tariff, or "trade" war against all states, introducing duties from 10% to 50% on imports depending on the country of origin.