A large country is missing on the US Customs List: Russia

When US President Donald Trump announced his penalties on Wednesday, almost the whole world put his throat.

The long list included everything from EU to Ukraine to China – to distant small islands like Tokelau and Svalbard, Axios writes.

But Russia shone with its absence.

According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Russia was omitted because US sanctions against the country already « prevent all significant trade ». But the United States deals with Moscow more than with countries such as Mauritius and Brunei, which are included in the list, Notes Axios.

Russia has asked the United States to lift some of the sanctions against the country as part of the US-mediated negotiations on a ceasefire in the Ukraine war. So far, it has not produced results. Last week, Trump instead threatened Russia with additional duties on oil, reportedly after being angry with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments about Ukraine.

Cuba, Belarus and North Korea are also missing on Trump’s customs list. According to Leavitt, this is because existing sanctions and tariffs against the countries are already so high.

The US neighboring countries Canada and Mexico were also not included in the list that was presented yesterday, as the United States already introduced 25 percent tariffs towards them.