Only 2 countries got spared from Trump’s ‘liberation day’ tariffs. Here’s why | World News
With the rollout of reciprocal tariffs, US President Donald Trump punished allies while sparing adversaries. While he imposed at least 10 per cent tariffs on nearly every country in the world, even including the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands near Antarctica, home only to seals and penguins. Two notable countries that have been spared entirely are: Russia and North Korea.When asked why Russia was exempt, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that US sanctions already “preclude any meaningful trade” between the two nations, Axios reported.
However, this claim isn’t entirely accurate. While US-Russia trade has significantly declined—from $35 billion in 2021 to just $3.5 billion last year—the US still trades more with Russia than with smaller nations like Mauritius or Brunei, both of which were included in the tariff l.
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Russia has reportedly requested that Trump lift some sanctions as part of US-brokered ceasefire negotiations over Ukraine. So far, the US has not responded with any concrete actions. Instead, Trump has recently threatened secondary tariffs on Russian oil and expressed frustration with Vladimir Putin, saying he was “very angry” and “pissed off” over the Russian leader’s comments about Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Leavitt added that Russia could still face “additional strong sanctions,” though she did not provide further details.
A White House official told The New York Times, “They are already facing extremely high tariffs, and our previously imposed sanctions preclude any meaningful trade with these countries.” Another official told journal Jasmine Wright, “Russia is not on this l because sanctions from the Ukraine war have already rendered trade between the two countries as zero.”
Who else escaped Trump’s tariffs?
Cuba, Belarus, and North Korea also avoided Trump’s latest trade penalties. These countries were already heavily sanctioned, so they were left off the tariff l.Story continues below this ad
Canada and Mexico: Both nations avoided new tariffs, but only because Trump had already imposed 25 per cent tariffs on them previously.
Meanwhile, Ukraine did not receive an exemption despite the ongoing war. Trump has imposed a 10 per cent tariff on Ukrainian imports, adding further economic strain to the country.
This move aligns with Trump’s broader diplomatic approach in his second term, which has seen him repeatedly threaten allies with economic and military consequences while extending goodwill to traditional US adversaries. In his second term, Trump has sought to reshape US-Russia relations, aiming to turn Russia from an adversary into an ally.
While he has always maintained a friendly rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin, this strategy has now been formalised, despite Russia’s continued aggression toward the West and its ongoing war in Ukraine.Story continues below this ad
Trump’s new tariffs impose a 10 per cent baseline tariff on all trade partners but include significantly higher rates for key US allies. China faces a 34 per cent tariff, while India, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan have been hit with rates ranging from 24 per cent to 32 per cent. However, Russia, North Korea, and Belarus are absent from the tariff l.
Trump has imposed a 17 per cent tariff on Israel, one of the United States’ closest allies, while Iran, a long-standing adversary of both the US and Israel, faces just 10 per cent. The move is particularly striking given that Israeli Prime Miner Benjamin Netanyahu had recently removed all tariffs on US imports in an apparent effort to avoid Trump’s penalties. Yet, Trump included Israel on the tariff l, applying a higher rate than that imposed on Iran, a country that openly opposes both the US and Israel.
Russia-US trade
Contrary to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s claim on Fox News that “there is no US-Russia trade,” the United States continues to engage in limited trade with Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
In 2024, total US-Russia trade amounted to $3.5 billion, including $526.1 million in US exports. These exports included pharmaceutical and medical supplies such as vaccines and medical equipment, while US imports from Russia primarily consed of radioactive chemicals and fertilizers.Story continues below this ad
In 2023, the United States exported $59 million worth of goods to Iran, mostly medical equipment, vaccines, and pharmaceuticals. Iran, in turn, sent $2.2 million worth of products to the US, including paintings and sculptures. Even North Korea, despite facing some of the most extensive sanctions, received $1.5 million worth of US goods in 2024, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and edible products.
