U.S. to Lift Tariffs on Ukrainian Steel

The move is one of a variety of economic measures aimed at penalizing Russia and assisting Ukraine. Those include a broad swath of sanctions on Russian entities, export controls that have limited Russian imports and $3.8 billion in arms and equipment for the Ukrainian government, in addition to other direct financial assistance.

Senators called on the administration last month to lift the steel tariffs, saying it would help the industry bounce back immediately after the war.

“Lifting the U.S. tariff on steel from Ukraine is a small but meaningful way for the U.S. to signal support for Ukraine and to provide stability,” Senators Patrick J. Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, and Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, wrote in a letter.

Many other major steel-producing countries have had their tariffs lifted or eased. During his presidency, Mr. Trump negotiated deals with South Korea, Mexico, Canada and other countries to replace the tariffs with quotas or so-called tariff rate quotas, which restrain the volume of a product coming into the United States but allow at least some of it to be imported at lower tariff rates.

In recent months, the Biden administration has negotiated deals with the European Union, Britain and Japan to ease metal tariffs while still maintaining some protections that domestic steel makers have called for.

The Commerce Department official said that the administration did not want to subject Ukraine to a similar extended negotiation to change the tariffs at this time, but that it would be ready to discuss a further arrangement after the one-year suspension expired.

Lawmakers and industry executives applauded the move, though some importers and other trade proponents said the changes should be made permanent.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/09/us/politics/ukraine-steel-tariffs.html