The White House is defending its decision to exclude Russia, North Korea, Cuba, and Belarus from the latest round of sweeping tariffs announced this week, despite the administration labeling dozens of other nations as the “worst offenders” when it comes to trade barriers.
According to a White House official, the four countries were not included in the new Reciprocal Tariff Executive Order because, as the official put it, they are already under severe sanctions and trade restrictions that effectively block meaningful economic exchange with the U.S.
“These nations are not subject to the order because they’re already facing extremely high tariffs, and our previously imposed sanctions preclude any meaningful trade with them,” the official explained. In particular, they noted that President Trump has recently threatened to impose even tougher sanctions on Russia, signaling that Moscow remains under scrutiny despite being spared in this specific action.
On Wednesday, Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff on imports to the United States, targeting a broad range of global trading partners. Several countries, however, were hit with significantly steeper tariffs, including China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, India, South Korea, Thailand, Switzerland, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, and the European Union.
China was hit the hardest Trump imposed an additional 34% tariff on top of the existing 20%, bringing the total to a massive 54%. Other notably high figures include 49% on Cambodia, 46% on Vietnam, 32% on Taiwan, and 32% on Indonesia.
The absence of Russia, despite its ongoing war in Ukraine, sparked questions. Trump has said in recent weeks that he’s considering more sanctions and trade penalties to pressure Moscow into negotiating an end to the conflict. Russia, in response, has signaled that it might be willing to accept limited sanctions relief in exchange for a temporary ceasefire, particularly on strikes involving critical infrastructure.
The White House insists the decision to leave Russia and other adversarial nations off this particular tariff list was strategic, not sympathetic. But critics argue that the selective approach may send mixed messages, especially when countries seen as traditional U.S. allies, like members of the European Union and Japan, are being hit with some of the stiffest economic penalties.
Meanwhile, Trump’s aggressive use of tariffs continues to generate debate over its long-term effects, particularly as consumer prices rise and international tensions escalate. With Russia’s absence from the tariff list drawing attention, some are asking whether the administration is holding back for future leverage or simply making calculated trade-offsthat could reshape U.S. diplomacy and economics for years to come.