White House defends Russia, North Korea exclusion from Trump's reciprocal tariffs

​​​​​​​By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The White House on Thursday sought to defend the exclusion of four high-profile US rivals, including Russia and North Korea, from President Donald Trump's global reciprocal tariffs.

"Cuba, Belarus, North Korea, and Russia are not subject to the Reciprocal Tariff Executive Order because they are already facing extremely high tariffs and our previously imposed sanctions preclude any meaningful trade with these countries," a White House official told Anadolu on condition of anonymity.

"President Trump has also recently threatened to impose strong sanctions on Russia," the official added.

The exclusion of Russia, in particular, sparked criticism on social media after Trump rolled out his reciprocal tariff policy Wednesday with many users accusing the president of caving to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The order mandates that a minimum baseline tariff of 10% be imposed, with higher sums charged to nations that Trump deemed to be the "worst" trade offenders.

About 60 nations will face tariffs above 10%, according to a White House official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity ahead of the rollout.

A series of handouts that the White House circulated among reporters highlights some of the reciprocal tariffs being imposed by the president, including a 34% tariff on goods imported from China, a 20% tariff on European Union goods, a 46% tariff on Vietnamese goods and a 44% tariff on Sri Lankan imports.

Türkiye is among the nations that will face a 10% tariff alongside the UK, Kenya, Iceland, Panama, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Togo and others.

Markets have nose-dived on news of Trump's announcement amid concerns that the penalties will raise consumer prices and potentially plunge the US into a recession. The tech-heavy Nasdaq has shed more than 5.3% in late morning trading while the Dow fell over 3.3%.