section_path: "Reciprocal" tariff policy/Exempt countries
section_name: Exempt countries
paragraph_text: Exempt countries
  
  Six countries were exempted from the reciprocal tariffs: Belarus, Canada, Cuba, Mexico, North Korea, and Russia.
  
  The White House said that Canada and Mexico were exempted because Trump previously imposed tariffs of 25% on the two countries for non-USMCA goods.
  
  Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Russia had been spared the tariffs because American sanctions on Russia already "preclude meaningful trade" between the two countries, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said it was because the USA has no trade with Russia. This was despite the value of US-Russian trade being $3.5 billion in 2024, greater than US trade with countries such as Mauritius or Brunei, who were tariffed by 40% and 24% respectively.
  
  Similarly, Leavitt cited that Belarus, Cuba, and North Korea had been exempted because American sanctions on them were already high. However, Syria, which has been under American sanctions for 20 years, did receive a heightened tariff of 41%.