Axios: Russia could face new sanctions as US tightens tariff measures

President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on imports from nearly all countries on Wednesday, with a notable exception: Russia.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained that Russia was excluded from the tariffs because existing US sanctions already "preclude any meaningful trade" with the country, Caliber.Az reports, referring to Axios.

However, despite this, the US still trades more with Russia than with smaller nations like Mauritius or Brunei, both of which were included in the tariff list. Even remote territories like Tokelau in the South Pacific and Svalbard in the Arctic Circle—both of which are territories of New Zealand and Norway—were subjected to the tariffs, despite their small populations.

Leavitt also clarified that countries such as Cuba, Belarus, and North Korea were left off the list due to the already high tariffs and sanctions imposed on them.

US-Russia trade has dramatically decreased, plummeting from around $35 billion in 2021 to just $3.5 billion last year, largely due to sanctions related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia has asked the US to lift some of these sanctions as part of stalled ceasefire talks.

Earlier this week, Trump had threatened Russia with additional tariffs on oil and expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks about Ukraine. Leavitt pointed out that Russia could still face "additional strong sanctions" in the future.

Along with Russia, the other two major economies exempt from the tariffs were Canada and Mexico. Leavitt confirmed that this was because both countries were already facing a 25% tariff.

By Tamilla Hasanova