White House Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett has explained why the United States has not imposed new tariffs on imports from Russia. He has stated that the decision was made due to the ongoing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Hassett in an interview with ABC News.
Hassett explained that the decision not to include Russia on the list of countries facing new tariffs is connected to the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. According to Hassett, the United States does not want to complicate the negotiations with additional trade issues, as this could negatively affect the process.
"There's obviously an ongoing negotiation with Russia and Ukraine, and I think the president made the decision not to conflate the two issues," he said.
"Russia is in the midst of negotiations over peace that affects, really, thousands and thousands of lives of people, and that's what President Trump is focused on right now," Hassett stated.
"It doesn't mean that Russia, in the fullness of time, is going to be treated wildly different than every other country." When asked by the interviewer to confirm that Russia is one of the only countries not subject to these new tariffs, Hasset answered: "They're in the middle of a negotiation, aren’t they?"
It is worth noting that the United States did impose new tariffs on Ukraine, which is also a participant in the peace talks.
