Russia is not among the 180 countries targeted by President Donald Trump's 10% reciprocal tariffs.
According to the White House, that's because sanctions imposed after President Vladimir Putin's forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022 already have greatly affected trade between Russia and the U.S.
A White House official said Russia is "not on this list because sanctions from the Ukraine war have already rendered trade between the two countries as zero," Newsweek reported.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios that Russia was left off the list because U.S. sanctions already "preclude any meaningful trade." She added that Moscow could face "additional strong sanctions."
The U.S.-imposed sanctions against Russia target key sectors of the Russian economy, including energy, finance, defense, and technology.
U.S.-Russia trade fell from around $35 billion in 2021 to $3.5 billion as of last year due to sanctions imposed over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Axios reported.
Although Moscow has asked that some of those sanctions be lifted as part of the U.S.-mediated ceasefire talks, Trump, during an interview with NBC News on Sunday, threatened a 25% tariff on Russian oil if a ceasefire deal in Ukraine can't be reached.
Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., are the lead sponsors of a bipartisan bill that would impose new primary and secondary sanctions against Russia.
Trump on Wednesday declared a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries and higher tariff rates on dozens of nations that run trade surpluses with the U.S.
Axios reported countries such as Mauritius or Brunei were on Trump's tariffs list even though they trade less with the U.S. than Russia. Also, remote island territories such as Tokelau, a territory of New Zealand in the South Pacific, and Norway's Svalbard in the Arctic Circle were listed for tariffs.
War-torn Ukraine is on the 10% tariff list, reported Newsweek, which added that Iran and Syria, also facing heavy embargoes and sanctions, were hit with additional tariffs on Wednesday of 10% and 40%, respectively.
Leavitt noted that Cuba, Belarus, and North Korea joined Russia in not being included on the list because existing tariffs and sanctions already are so high.
Canada and Mexico also were left off Trump's list. Leavitt said that due to Trump already having imposed 25% tariffs on each.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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