White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Russia was not included due to existing sanctions that “preclude any meaningful trade,” along with nations such as Belarus, North Korea, and Cuba.
Russia exports to the US were worth $3b (£2.28b) in 2024, including fertilisers and precious stones, although this marked a sharp decline on the last pre-war 2021 figure of $35b, according to US government figures.
Gould-Davies said the White House’s explanation was “untrue” as several smaller trading partners were subjected to tariffs, adding that Russia’s omission also contradicted threats by Trump to impose tariffs over non-cooperation on a ceasefire.
Gould-Davies said “yes” when asked if ongoing negotiations to end the war could be a factor in Russia being left off the list, as Trump continues to push for a deal he has repeatedly promised to deliver.
Firefighters work at a storehouse following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, last month (Photo: Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)Dmitriev said he hoped the meetings would lead to improved economic relations.
Dmitriev was likely to be seeking US cooperation on oil and gas projects in Arctic and offshore sites, as he and other top Russian officials have previously raised, Gould-Davies said.
Such cooperation is a Russian priority in talks, Gould-Davies added, “or even steps to normalise the US-Russia economic relationship without a ceasefire.”
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But Hess added that Russia may be viewed as an exceptional case that Trump has delegated to senior staff, and could have been omitted from tariffs as “it’s in the wheelhouse of Trump’s appointed people on the matter and not his trade advisors.”
The Trump administration did lift sanctions this week on Karina Rotenberg, wife of billionaire oligarch and Putin associate Boris Rotenberg, the analyst noted, although he said it was unclear if this was part of a wider shift toward sanctions relief.
The Kremlin has demanded wide-ranging sanctions relief as a condition for a ceasefire.
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