Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
The new tariffs replaced the temporary old ones, which, in turn, replaced Trump’s original “retaliatory” tariffs—which had been struck down by the Supreme Court—and which he had announced with great fanfare as “America’s Liberation Day” upon returning to the White House for a second term last spring, according to the BBC.
Trump ultimately reduced or canceled most of those tariffs because both America’s main rival—China—and its allies—Canada, Europe, and Mexico—had their own retaliatory measures.
And then it turned out that he had no authority to impose them in the first place. U.S. courts, all the way up to the Supreme Court, ruled that Trump had overstepped his authority. Only Congress has the authority to impose taxes in the United States, and import duties are, in fact, a tax on American consumers of foreign goods.
After losing the case, Trump immediately imposed a 10% tariff on all imports under the pretext of a balance-of-payments emergency. There appeared to be no legal basis for such a blanket assault on trading partners, so a lawsuit was immediately filed against the White House. But Trump wasn’t concerned, since by law these new tariffs can only be imposed for 150 days, and any legal battle takes longer than that.
And so they expired on July 24. Trump replaced them with new ones—under the pretext of protecting workers around the world.
Russia on the list for the first time
U.S. laws allow for restrictions on trade with countries that do not actively combat slavery and forced labor.
Trump ordered an investigation, which his officials carried out. Based on the findings, they recommended that the president impose a 12.5% tariff on countries that have no laws against forced labor at all.
For the rest—including the European Union, Canada, and Mexico—they recommended a 10% tariff simply because they do not enforce their existing prohibitions “strictly enough.” And that is exactly what Trump did.
Russia fell into the 12.5% category. It was not on the original list of “Liberation Day” tariffs, even though the list included uninhabited islands off the coast of Antarctica populated by penguins. As the White House explained at the time, the U.S. has no significant trade with Russia due to existing sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine and persecution of the opposition, so tariffs are unnecessary. Belarus, Cuba, and North Korea also found themselves in this same “outcast” category.
Now, however, Russia is on the list—albeit with the same exceptions that apply to everyone else.
There are many of them—the list took up 55 pages. Since Trump is constantly concluding, terminating, and revising deals with trading partners, within the web of the tariff grid woven under various pretexts, some tariffs are imposed on top of others, and with every new executive order from Trump, an addendum listing the exceptions must be drafted.
The Chinese reiterated that they oppose unilateral tariffs and support free trade; the French once again promised not to back down and to defend their interests, while the British—America’s main allies—thanked Trump for recognizing their efforts in combating forced labor and for eliminating the tariff on whiskey.
Why isn’t Moldova on the list?
First, forced labor is strictly prohibited in our country under the highest-level legal acts, including the Constitution, the Labor Code, and international treaties.
Exceptions (which are not considered forced labor) include: military service or alternative service; work performed by prisoners while serving their sentences under normal conditions; work during natural disasters or emergencies; or ordinary civic duties required by law.
Second, as of July 1, 2026, Moldova officially abolished import duties on most goods produced in the United States. This measure was adopted in accordance with Law No. 69/2026, although restrictions remain in place for a number of sensitive agricultural products.
