But before that, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told ABC that the decision had been made because “There’s obviously an ongoing negotiation with Russia and Ukraine, and I think the president made the decision not to conflate the two issues.” Ukraine, the country Russia invaded, was hit with a 10 percent tariff. That’s very bad news for Russia, a country that depends on oil and gas sales for roughly a third of its government revenues and just hiked defense spending by 25 percent to the highest levels since the end of the Cold War as it works to sustain its war in Ukraine. It would be a supreme irony if the Trump administration found a more effective way to attack the most important sector of Russia’s economy while providing a boost to the west’s Ukrainian allies than the Biden administration ever did.
Author: Joshua Keating
Published at: 2025-04-14 22:33:52
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