Russian Embassy Drops Cheeky Meme After Being Excluded From US Tariff List, Musk Reacts

While countries worldwide are wrestling with the economic fallout of US President Donald Trump's tariff policies, Russia emerged unscathed, dodging the reciprocal levies slapped on 180 nations. The Russian Embassy in Kenya seized the moment with a cheeky meme, highlighting the impact of Trump's tariffs. The popular meme depicts other countries "fighting", while Russia is shown "relaxing", untouched by the trade storm. Surprisingly, Russia wasn't hit with Trump's tariffs due to existing US sanctions that limit trade between the two nations. 

"Tariff wars," the post on X read. Reacting to the meme, the billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk dropped a laugh emoji. 

See the post here:

Tariff wars pic.twitter.com/DQD8RDl3Dt

— Russian Embassy in Kenya/Посольство России в Кении (@russembkenya) April 8, 2025

Russia Exempted From US Tariffs

Russia's exemption from US tariffs has sparked significant interest, especially given President Trump's recent threats of additional sanctions on Russian oil if Moscow doesn't end its involvement in the Ukraine war. Despite this, trade between the US and Russia remains relatively high, with bilateral trade valued at $3.5 billion in 2024, albeit a significant drop from $35 billion in 2021.

The White House has provided two main rationales for this decision. Initially, officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, stated that Russia was excluded because existing sanctions, imposed after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, had already reduced trade with the U.S. to a negligible level—dropping from $35 billion in 2021 to $3.5 billion in 2024.

They argued that this made additional tariffs unnecessary, as there was no "meaningful trade" left to target. Later, the administration shifted its explanation, with White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett suggesting on April 6 that imposing tariffs on Russia could complicate ongoing peace negotiations involving Russia, the US, and Ukraine, indicating a strategic choice to keep economic pressure separate from diplomatic efforts.

Other countries left off Trump's tariff list are Canada and Mexico, the US's largest trading partners. Cuba, Belarus, and North Korea were also exempt from Trump's tariffs due to already-existing high tariffs and sanctions.