Trump’s tariffs spark debate over Russia’s exclusion
President Donald Trump has introduced new tariffs affecting almost all countries worldwide; however, Russia has not been included on this list. According to the White House, this is due to existing sanctions. Experts note the very limited trade exchange between the USA and Russia but emphasise Trump's inconsistency.
Following President Trump's announcement of the new tariffs, questions arose regarding Russia's exclusion from the affected countries. War-torn Ukraine is on the list and is subject to a 10% tariff.
A White House representative stated Russia was omitted because the sanctions related to the war in Ukraine have effectively reduced trade between the USA and Russia to virtually nothing.
In an interview with Fox News, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent explained that Russia was excluded because the United States does not trade with it. — We do not trade with Russia and Belarus, — he said. — They are under sanctions, — he added.
Nevertheless, the trade exchange between the USA and Belarus in 2023 amounted to a total of approximately £50 million. The United States exported goods worth about £12 million to Belarus, while the goods imported from Belarus were valued at approximately £37 million. In contrast, the US-Russia trade exchange in 2024 totalled around £2.6 billion, with £2.2 billion being US exports to Russia.
— The trade exchange between the USA and Russia is negligible. It is less than the trade between Poland and Lithuania. These are not, in any way, significant economic transactions, and given the geopolitical situation, this is not surprising, — says Jerzy Marek Nowakowski, a former Polish ambassador to Latvia and Armenia.
He also emphasises that lately, Trump has been "very courteous" towards Putin.
— Even when he was frustrated with Russia's position on ending the war in Ukraine, he threatened to impose tariffs on countries buying Russian oil, yet he stopped at threats. In the case of a trade war declared on almost the entire world, it was evidently more important for Trump that Russia and Belarus were already under strict American sanctions. The White House therefore concluded that adding more burdens, given such minimal trade exchange, would yield no benefits for him. Instead, he might negotiate with Russia on more significant matters, — Jerzy Marek Nowakowski believes.
Leszek Szerepka, a former Polish ambassador to Belarus, highlights Trump's inconsistency.
— Americans cited low economic turnovers in trade exchange as the reason for not imposing tariffs on Russia. In my view, these arguments do not reflect well on the White House. Some time ago, they threatened that if Russia did not agree to a truce, Trump would impose severe tariffs. It turned out to be a bluff, and he did not impose them, — says Leszek Szerepka.
He adds that now everyone else is hit with tariffs, but Moscow is not. — Of course, I do not think that with such a trade exchange, a new levy would significantly impact Russia. However, if Trump were consistent, he wouldn't spare Putin. This suggests peculiar manoeuvres in American diplomacy. It might be that Washington has other plans for the Kremlin, perhaps additional sanctions if there is no truce in Ukraine. It's hard to say because Trump is difficult to comprehend. The American president prioritises business over diplomacy, — recalls the former Polish ambassador to Belarus.
According to Leszek Szerepka, Russia is strategically important to Washington in global politics. — It is suggested that Trump wants to perform a "reverse Kissinger" manoeuvre. Just as President Richard Nixon and his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger used the Soviet-Chinese split in the 1970s to weaken the USSR, it is hypothesised the USA might seek to divide Russia and China, even at a cost to China. However, this concept is flawed because China and Russia share a strategic and mutually beneficial cooperation. Trump's leniency towards Putin may backfire, — claims Szerepka.
