Unlike China, European Union or India, which faced with a drastic increase in customs, Moscow and Pyongyang remained out of reach of this customs wave. The reason is not political indulgability, but a combination of existing sanctions, minimum trade and geopolitical calculations. So at least they claim from the White House, the index is transmitted.
White House spokeswoman Karolina Leavitt said for Axios that Russia was not covered by customs because American sanctions already prevent any significant trade.
“However, the United States is still trading with Russia than with the countries like Mauritius, which were found on the Trump Area of Customs and Svalbard (1500 inhabitants) in the Arctic Circle – the territory of New Zealand and Norway – covered by customs,” Axios.
Leavitt emphasized that Cuba, Belarus and North Korea were omitted because they already have extremely high customs and sanctions.
Both countries have already undergone extensive American sanctions for years. Russia is due to an invasion of Ukraine under striking sanctions that affect the financial sector, energy and the military industry. Trade with the US fell from $ 36 billion in 2021. to only 3.5 billion in 2024, which makes the introduction of additional customs in economically meaningless.
North Korea is more isolated – American and international sanctions almost completely prohibit trade except in humanitarian cases. As Saurav Ghosh analyst commented, “Illegal channels are dominant, and customs would not have any real effects.”
In the overall structure of the American trade, Russia and North Korea participate with less than 0.1%. On the other hand, China achieved a trade surplus of nearly $ 300 billion with the US in 2024, which is why it was affected by the customs rate of as much as 34%.
The exclusion of Moscow and Pyongjang could have a diplomatic background. The Donald Trump administration may want to keep the space for negotiations – with Russia around Ukraine, and with North Korea around the nuclear program.
(Vijesti.ba)
