Trump's exclusion of Russia from tariffs sparks debate
President Donald Trump announced the introduction of reciprocal tariffs on goods from 180 countries, but it was surprising that Russia was omitted. "It's possible that a mechanism excluding countries due to exceptions for critical raw materials was at play here," noted Jakub Jakóbowski, Deputy Director of the Centre for Eastern Studies, in an interview with money.pl.
"Indeed, countries like North Korea, Cuba, or Iran, which are traditionally under sanctions, are also not on the list of new tariffs. This is not an exception reserved exclusively for Russia. However, suppose the same logic applied by the Americans to all trade relations is used. In that case, Russia should be subject to tariffs - because the United States still imports goods from Russia worth about 2 billion pounds annually, despite existing sanctions," Jakub Jakóbowski, Deputy Director of the Centre for Eastern Studies, told money.pl.
"It's possible, however, that even if Russia were on the list, a mechanism excluding due to exceptions for critical resources - such as wood, energy, or other resources that will not be subject to tariffs regardless of the country of origin - would come into play. This stems from the structure of Russian exports to the USA. Despite this, the absence of Russia on this list - even if not planned as a political signal - was perceived as such, especially in the context of Ukraine being included on it," added the expert.
USA imposes tariffs on 189 countries
Donald Trump announced on Wednesday, during "Liberation Day", retaliatory tariffs on the entire world: 10 per cent on all imports and 25 per cent on foreign cars. He showed the list of countries and the tariff rates that will apply - in the case of the European Union, it will be 20 per cent.
However, one of the biggest surprises of the announcement was the omission of Russia, which remains under sanctions due to the war in Ukraine. As explained by the White House spokeswoman, Russia was not included on the list due to existing sanctions, which have practically eliminated trade between the two countries.
"Russia is not on this list because sanctions related to the war in Ukraine have already reduced trade between these two countries to zero," said a representative of the administration. It is worth noting that other countries under sanctions, such as Belarus, Cuba, and North Korea, were also not burdened with new tariffs.
US sanctions on Russia
Since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United States has imposed a broad package of economic, financial, and personal sanctions on Russia. The most important measures included a ban on importing Russian oil, gas, and coal, cutting off the largest Russian banks from the American financial system, and restricting the export of advanced technologies, including semiconductors and military equipment.
The USA has also sanctioned many Russian oligarchs, politicians, and their family members - including President Vladimir Putin and Minister Sergey Lavrov. Meanwhile, the US administration is currently considering imposing severe sanctions on Russia, targeting its "shadow fleet". The restrictions are set to impact illegal oil transports through the Baltic.
