 "'How to sound tough but do nothing': Economist dismisses Trump's tariff threat to Russia")
A noted economist has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Russia over its war on Ukraine as empty.
Trump on Monday said that he could impose 100 per cent tariff on Russia if Vladimir Putin would not agree to a ceasefire in the next 50 days.
Economist Justin Wolfers said that it was an empty threat and an example of “how to sound tough but do nothing”.
In a post on X, Wolfers said that Russia is already under sanctions and therefore sanctions will not have any effect.
How to sound tough but do nothing: Impose tariffs on a country where we already impose sanctions.
— Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) July 14, 2025
A 100% tariff on almost nothing will do almost nothing. https://t.co/tEEOEtcAUs pic.twitter.com/VGw1Tdy31M
The US-Russia trade is minimal and, in any case, Russia would not pay for any tariffs. Unlike what Trump has said, tariffs are the taxes to the government that importers pay — not the country exporting goods.
As the White House has not clarified what exactly Trump meant, some have interpreted his threat of tariffs as ‘secondary tariffs’, which mean that countries buying particular goods from Russia —such as oil and gas— will face tariffs in their trade with the United States. India and China are the biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas. Trump is unlikely to impose such tariffs on these countries as any tariff may kill ongoing trade negotiations with these countries.
Trump’s threat is also empty because Trump’s 50-day period is a window for Putin to do whatever he wants in Ukraine and not an ultimatum.
Per Axios, Putin told Trump during on July 3 that he would launch an offensive and maximise territorial gains in the next 60 days. The 60th day will be September 1. As per Trump’s announcement, he will wait until the 50th day starting Monday —Sept. 3— to impose any tariff. This means that Trump will wait until after the completion of Russian ground offensive to take any action, essentially giving Putin a license to maximise his gains and kill Ukrainians at will in aerial attacks.
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