US tariffs on Kazakhstan to take effect on August 7

Tengrinews.kz – U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order introducing tariffs on a dozen countries, including Kazakhstan, will take effect not on August 1, but a week later.
On the evening of July 31, Trump signed an order imposing tariffs ranging from 15 to 41 percent on goods imported to the U.S. from more than 60 countries. For Kazakhstan, Donald Trump introduced tariffs of 25 percent. It was initially expected that these measures would take effect on Friday, August 1.

“Instead, the tariffs will be implemented on August 7 to give Customs and Border Protection sufficient time to make the necessary changes to collect the new duties,” CNN reports.

In early July, Donald Trump notified Kazakhstan of the tariffs in his message to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. “Please understand that these Tariffs are necessary to correct the many years of Kazakhstan's Tariff, and Non Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers, causing these unsustainable Trade Deficits against the United States. This Deficit is a major threat to our Economy and, indeed, our National Security!” the U.S. leader wrote.
Later, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade and Integration stated that “the new tariffs will not affect about 95 percent of Kazakhstan’s exports to the United States” and that key raw materials and strategic goods, such as oil, uranium, silver, ferroalloys, tantalum, and titanium, are exempt from the tariffs.
Background: The trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the United States in 2024 amounted to $4.2 billion, which is 4 percent higher than in 2023. The main export items remain oil (56.2 percent of the total volume), uranium (16.4 percent), silver (12.2 percent), ferroalloys (9.5 percent), and tantalum products (0.89 percent). From January to May 2025, trade turnover amounted to $1.27 billion, with exports from Kazakhstan to the United States reaching $418 million.