Trump's tariff exception for Russia raises global eyebrows
President Donald Trump introduced new tariffs that apply to nearly all countries worldwide. However, Russia was notably excluded from this list. According to the White House, the reason is the existing sanctions. Experts observe the minimal trade exchange between the U.S. and Russia but highlight that Trump is inconsistent.
Following President Trump's announcement of the new tariffs, questions emerged as to why Russia was not included in the list of affected countries. War-torn Ukraine is included and is subject to a 10% tariff.
A White House representative stated that Russia was excluded because the existing sanctions related to the war in Ukraine have effectively reduced trade between the U.S. and Russia to zero.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent explained in an interview with Fox News that Russia was not included simply because the United States does not trade with it. "Well, we do not trade with Russia and Belarus," he said. "They are under sanctions," he added.
In 2023, the trade between the U.S. and Belarus amounted to a total of 92 million CAD. The United States exported goods worth 22.5 million CAD to Belarus, while goods valued at 69 million CAD were imported. On the other hand, the U.S.-Russia trade in 2024 was 4.9 billion CAD, with 4.2 billion CAD being U.S. exports to Russia.
"The trade exchange between the U.S. and Russia is negligible. It is less than the trade exchange between Poland and Lithuania. These are not, in any way, significant economic turnovers, which—given the geopolitical situation—is not surprising," says Jerzy Marek Nowakowski, a former Polish ambassador to Latvia and Armenia.
At the same time, he emphasizes that lately, Trump has been "very courteous" towards Putin.
"Even when he was upset about Russia's stance regarding the end of the war in Ukraine, he threatened to impose tariffs on countries buying Russian oil. Yet, he stopped at threats. In the context of a trade war being declared on the whole world, it was clearly more important for Trump that Russia and Belarus are already under severe American sanctions. The White House, therefore, considered that adding more burdens, given such low trade activity, would bring no benefits. Instead, Trump might negotiate with Russia on other, more critical matters," Jerzy Marek Nowakowski believes.
Leszek Szerepka, a former Polish ambassador to Belarus, points out Trump's inconsistency.
— Americans cited low economic exchanges as a reason for not imposing tariffs on Russia. In my opinion, these arguments do not reflect well on the White House. Previously, they warned that if Russia did not agree to a truce, Trump would impose severe tariffs. He was bluffing and did not impose them, — says Leszek Szerepka.
He adds that now everyone faces tariffs, except Moscow. "Of course, I do not think that with such a trade volume, a new levy would significantly impact Russia. But if Trump were consistent, he wouldn't spare Putin." This indicates unusual maneuvers in American diplomacy. It may stem from Washington having other plans for the Kremlin. Perhaps they have additional sanctions ready if there is no truce in Ukraine. Hard to tell, as Trump is difficult to fathom. The American president thinks business-wise, not diplomatically," recalls the former Polish ambassador to Belarus.
According to Leszek Szerepka, Russia is essential to Washington in global politics. "There is speculation that Trump wants to perform a 'reverse Kissinger' maneuver. Just as President Richard Nixon and his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger exploited the Soviet-Chinese split in the 1970s to weaken the USSR, now the U.S. might try to separate Russia and China at the cost of China. But this concept is flawed because China and Russia share strategic and convenient cooperation. Trump being lenient towards Putin may backfire," claims Szerepka.
