Russia, Belarus excluded from Trump's sweeping tariffs due to existing sanctions, White House says

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The U.S. did not include Russia on its "Liberation Day" tariff list as the existing sanctions "preclude any meaningful trade," Axios reported on April 3, citing White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.

U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a sweeping list of "reciprocial tariffs" on April 2, imposing a baseline 10% duty on all countries — including Ukraine — with even higher rates for major trade partners like the EU.

Russia and Belarus were not included on the list, according to the White House charts.

Talking to Axios, Leavitt said that Russia and Belarus were left off the list because of the already imposed economic sanctions. The news outlet nevertheless noted that even countries with a smaller traded volume with the U.S., such as Mauritius and Brunei, were included.

The spokesperson added that other heavily sanctioned countries, such as Cuba and North Korea, were also left out of the list.

The U.S. and other nations imposed heavy sanctions against Moscow after the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. U.S.-Russia trade flows went from $36 billion in 2021 to about $3.5 billion in 2024.

Trump previously hinted at the possibility of easing some of the sanctions imposed on Russia as part of an effort to broker a ceasefire and a peace deal in Ukraine.

At the same time, the U.S. president threatened Moscow with secondary tariffs on Russian oil exports as he grows frustrated with stalled negotiations.

The new tariffs were described by the media as a "historic global trade war," with the Trump administration presenting it as a step toward restoring economic sovereignty and security.

Some 60 countries or trading blocs were hit with additional duties higher than the 10% baseline, including the EU (20%), China (34%), and Taiwan (32%). Canada and Mexico were among those excluded due to the already existing 25% tariff.

The list includes some surprising additions, such as Heard and McDonald Islands, Australia's uninhabited external territory about 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) north of Antarctica.

"My advice to every country right now is do not retaliate. Sit back, take it in, let's see how it goes," U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox News's Special Report program.

"If you don't retaliate, this is the high-water mark."

The EU and China have already pledged a response to Trump's tariffs.