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Trump Hikes Global Tariffs but Spares Russia and Several Sanctioned Nations
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![Amira_barkhush]( "Amira Barkhush")
US President Donald Trump announced a hike in tariffs on April 2, targeting nearly every country in the world, with a few exceptions, including Russia.
This was reported by Axios, citing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
According to Leavitt, the US sanctions imposed on Russia already “preclude any meaningful trade,” although the US still does more business with Russia than with countries like Mauritius or Brunei, both of which made Trump’s tariff list.
Leavitt noted that Russia could still face “additional strong sanctions” despite its exemption from the new tariffs.
The press secretary added that Cuba, Belarus, and North Korea were also left off the list, as existing tariffs and sanctions on those countries are already steep.
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As Axios points out, US–Russia trade has plummeted from around $35 billion in 2021 to just $3.5 billion last year, largely due to sanctions imposed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
On April 1, a bipartisan bill was introduced in the US Senate, led by Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal, aimed at imposing sanctions on Russia if the Kremlin undermines Trump’s peace efforts regarding Ukraine.
At the beginning of April, Trump stated that he wanted Russian leader Vladimir Putin to negotiate a deal and expressed confidence that the Kremlin would do so. At the same time, Trump said he would consider imposing secondary tariffs on Russian oil if Russia drags its feet around ceasefire efforts.
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