Why did Russia escape Trumpโs tariffs?
Almost no countries were spared from President Donald Trumpโs sweeping tariffs; even small, uninhabited islands in the Indian Ocean were included in the exhaustive list. But one country was notably missing: Russia.
One of the United Statesโ largest adversaries was omitted from the list of countries slapped with even the 10 percent baseline tariff โ a move that raised some eyebrows given Trumpโs previously friendly relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But other countries, including the uninhabited Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, which have a population of 59 and Svalbard and Jan Mayen, islands in the Arctic Circle with approximately 2,000 people, were hit with tariffs.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News on Wednesday that Russia was exempt because the U.S. doesnโt trade with them under heavy sanctions placed on the country after it invaded Ukraine in 2022.
However, the U.S. Trade Office indicates the U.S. does some trade with Russia, though significantly less than it did. Last year, the total goods trade with Russia was $3.5 billion.
Most of Russiaโs exports to the U.S. are radioactive chemicals, nitrogenous fertilizers and platinum. They are the second-largest exporter of fertilizer to the U.S....
https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-did-russia-escape-trump-195730540.html