Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has reacted to Trump’s new duties on goods from multiple countries, including China and the EU
The new US tariff hikes are a “traditional way of doing business” for Washington, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said. The move is nonetheless a “shock” for many countries, she added.
Her comments followed the implementation of another series of tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump, affecting multiple nations and aiming to address trade imbalances and promote domestic manufacturing. Russia was exempted from the measures. The White House explained that existing sanctions on the country already “preclude any meaningful trade,” rendering additional tariffs unnecessary.
“In a day, American and retaliatory tariffs rose again. This is serious bargaining. For the US, it’s a traditional way of doing business. For many countries, it’s a shock,” Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel on Wednesday. She accompanied the post with a humorous video from an American auction, where auctioneers call out bids and sales at record speed.
Trump has launched a sweeping tariff campaign since taking office in January. On April 9, tariffs on Chinese imports reached a cumulative 104%, following earlier hikes from 10% in February to 20% in March, then 54% by early April. In response to China’s 34% retaliation, Trump added another 50%, bringing the total to 104%. Beijing has pledged to “fight till the end” in response to the steep new tariffs on exports to the US, its largest trading partner.
Washington’s recent country-specific “reciprocal” tariffs included a 20% levy on goods from the European Union, 24% on those from Japan, 25% from South Korea, 26% from India, and 46% from Vietnam. The measures came on top of a universal 10% baseline tariff on all imports, which took effect on April 5. EU officials have criticized the US move as a “major blow to the world economy.”
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Trump insisted that the tariffs were benefiting the US. He claimed that the country was making $2 billion a day from the measures and that more than 70 nations were in talks to secure access to the US market. He added that America was going to be “very rich again very soon.”
Economists warn the new tariffs could drive up prices for US consumers and strain global trade. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of “teeing up a nationwide recession” and urged Majority Leader John Thune to prioritize a bill requiring congressional approval for future tariffs. Trump has said he would veto such legislation if passed.
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