Trump’s Panic: White House gives reasons why Russia, North Korea favoured in new tariffs

President Donald Trump announced plans for sweeping reciprocal tariffs Wednesday, saying “our country has been looted, pillaged, raped, plundered” by other nations.

Of the 180 countries, including U.S. allies, that are now being hit with retaliatory tariffs, Russia isn’t on the list.

Following Trump’s Rose Garden announcement, a White House official told NOTUS’ Jasmine Wright that Russia is “not on this list because sanctions from the Ukraine war have already rendered trade between the two countries as zero.”

War-torn Ukraine will face a 10 percent retaliatory tariff. In addition, many other former Soviet satellites and republics are also on Trump’s list.

Belarus, Cuba and North Korea, other countries that face US sanctions, also weren’t hit with reciprocal tariffs.

However, Iran and Syria, also facing heavy embargoes and sanctions, were hit with additional tariffs on Wednesday of 10 and 40 percent, respectively.

Why It Matters
Russia is seeking to remove the Western sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine that have caused substantial pain to its economy. The European Union has described its own sprawling sanctions against Russia as “massive and unprecedented.”

Beginning during former President Joe Biden’s administration, the U.S. has imposed a wide range of sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, interference in foreign elections, cyberattacks and human rights abuses. These measures target key sectors of the Russian economy, including energy, finance, defense and technology. Major Russian banks have been cut off from the global financial system, assets of Russian oligarchs have been frozen, and export controls have restricted access to critical technologies.

Sanctions have also focused on individuals close to President Vladimir Putin, aiming to pressure the Kremlin by isolating its political and economic elite. In coordination with allies in Europe and Asia, the U.S. has expanded these sanctions since 2022, seeking to weaken Russia’s ability to fund its war efforts while supporting Ukraine through military and financial aid.

Senators Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, and Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal are the lead sponsors of a bipartisan bill which would impose new primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and entities supporting Putin’s aggression if Moscow does not engage in peace talks or undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Amid concerns the Trump administration would hand Moscow an advantage in peace negotiations, the bill sponsored by 25 Republicans and 25 Democrats signals cross-party consensus against Putin’s aggression.

The bill includes imposing 500-percent tariffs on imported goods from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other products.

On Sunday, Trump also vowed to impose “secondary tariffs” on nations that purchase oil from Russia if Moscow fails to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.

The proposed tariffs, which range from 25 to 50 percent, would therefore not directly target Russia but would penalize foreign countries that continue trading with it, thereby discouraging global support for the Russian oil industry.

Newsweek