Donald Trump’s recent tariff strategy leaves only a few countries untouched

Home NewsDonald Trumps recent tariff strategy leaves only a few countries untouched - Heres the complete list Donald Trump’s latest tariff strategy leaves only a few countries untouched – Here’s the complete list

Despite sweeping US trade measures, a handful of countries including Russia, Canada and Mexico have not faced fresh tariffs under President Donald Trump’s 2025–26 reciprocal tariff policy.

Published: January 13, 2026 4:47 PM IST By Kumar Utkarsh | Edited by Kumar Utkarsh Follow Us

As the United States pursues one of the most ambitious tariff programs in recent history, most of the world’s major trading partners are now subject to higher duties on imports into the U.S. But there remains a small group of nations that have not been charged with modern tariff rates under President Donald Trump’s expanded trade measures.

In April 2025, the Trump administration unveiled a sweeping “reciprocal tariff” policy, imposing a baseline 10 percent tariff on imports from most countries and significantly higher reciprocal rates on nations with large U.S. trade deficits.

However, six countries were left out of these innovative tariff lists – meaning they were not assigned these reciprocal tariffs. According to official tariff documents and trade experts, the countries exempted are:

Russia Belarus Cuba North Korea Canada Mexico

Why these Countries were Exempted?

The reasons behind these exemptions vary:

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Russia, Belarus, Cuba and North Korea were excluded because existing U.S. sanctions and restricted trade relationships already limit commercial exchanges with the United States. The White House acknowledged that heavy sanctions meant “no meaningful trade” existed between the U.S. and these countries, so additional tariffs would have little economic impact.

Canada and Mexico were also exempted – but on different grounds. Under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), many goods from these two North American partners already enjoy preferential access to the U.S. industry. As a result, they were left off the fresh reciprocal tariff list even though separate tariffs on specific non-USMCA products remain possible under existing trade enforcement actions.

In contrast, virtually every other trading partner – including the European Union, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and numerous developing nations – did receive reciprocal tariff rates tied to their trade balances with the U.S.

Exclusions Are Not Permanent

Trade analysts stress that these exemptions are specific to the 2025-26 reciprocal tariff rollout and can change with shifting diplomatic, economic or regulatory priorities. A future executive action, bilateral agreement, or changes in sanction policy could bring any of these countries back into a tariff regime.

For now, though, Russia, Belarus, Cuba, North Korea, Canada and Mexico stand apart as the few nations not assigned fresh tariff duties under Trump’s sweeping trade push – either because sanctions already restrict their commerce or because longstanding trade agreements provide alternate frameworks.

About the Author

Kumar Utkarsh

Kumar Utkarsh is a journalist, technology observer, and cricket enthusiast with over three years of experience in the media industry. Currently serving as a Sub-Editor at India Dot Com English, he cov ... Read More

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Trump tariffs exempt countriesDonald TrumpTrump TariffsTrump trade policyUS tariffs 2026

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