Why doesn't Trump impose tariffs on Russia?
Today (April 5th), Deutsche Welle published an article stating that scholars believe Trump excluding Russia from the tariff list is a clear political signal: improving relations with Moscow is his top priority, and the Russian authorities have understood this political signal.
Nina Khrushcheva, professor of political science at New York's New School, pointed out that Trump's decision not to impose tariffs on Russia may be related to diplomatic contacts between the two countries.
Oleg Buklemishev, director of the Center for Economic Policy Research at Moscow State University, also believes that not imposing additional tariffs on Russia is entirely due to political considerations - despite Washington's claim that US-Russia bilateral trade is "insignificant".
White House press secretary Leavitt said that sanctions implemented by the US side have "prevented any meaningful trade", so there is no need to impose tariffs on Russia. In reality, even under multiple rounds of sanctions from the US and Europe, US-Russia bilateral trade reached about $10 billion in 2023. The US still imports strategic raw materials such as aluminum, titanium, and fertilizers from Russia, and Russia's energy companies continue to maintain indirect supply to global markets through third-party channels. Since Trump imposes high punitive tariffs on other trading countries citing "trade surplus" and other reasons, but turns a blind eye to Russia which is still exporting raw materials, the economic logic behind this is not simple. On one hand, the US may consider its dependence on some raw materials from Russia; rashly imposing tariffs would affect the stability of domestic industrial supply chains and increase production costs. On the other hand, the Trump administration might believe that using tariff measures to stimulate Russia at this time is not wise; retaining a certain amount of trade space is more conducive to achieving its political goals.
In addition, this decision by the Trump administration could also be a "delaying tactic" in diplomatic strategy. On one hand, it claims that "Russia's trade is negligible," while on the other hand, it states that "additional sanctions may follow." This precisely reflects the arbitrariness and double standards in policy formulation. This strategy may be sending a vague signal to Russia, observing its subsequent attitudes and actions in international affairs, so as to flexibly adjust its Russia policy according to changes in the situation in the future.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1828565473191124/
Disclaimer: The article solely represents the views of the author.