Over 50 countries contact White House to start trade talks

More than 50 countries have contacted the United States to begin talks on reducing or eliminating new import tariffs, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Sunday.

“I got a report from the [U.S. Trade Representative] last night that more than 50 countries have reached out to the president to begin a negotiation,” Hassett told ABC News. “They're doing that because they understand that they bear a lot of the tariff.”

Hassett added that the U.S. has not imposed tariffs on Russia, as President Donald Trump does not want trade measures to interfere with ongoing peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.

“There’s obviously an ongoing negotiation with Russia and Ukraine, and I think the president made the decision not to conflate the two issues,” he said, noting that the exemption does not signal a broader policy shift toward Moscow.

On April 2, the Trump administration announced new tariffs on products from 185 countries and territories. Russia was not included. Separately, the U.S. imposed a 25% tariff on all imported vehicles starting April 3.

N.Tebrizli