Crystal Charles
United States President Donald Trump has urged the European Union to impose 100 percent tariffs on China and India, as part of his strategy to pressure Russia into ending its war in Ukraine, according to multiple media reports.
Trump made the appeal during a call to a meeting of U.S. and EU officials in Washington on Tuesday. The Financial Times, which first broke the story, reported that Trump signaled his readiness to raise U.S. tariffs on China and India—both major buyers of Russian oil—if European allies agreed to do the same.
“We’re ready to go, ready to go right now, but we’re only going to do this if our European partners step up with us,” a U.S. official was quoted as saying. The proposal was later confirmed by Reuters, Bloomberg, and CNBC.
The U.S. president last month doubled tariffs on Indian imports to 50 percent, citing New Delhi’s continued oil purchases from Moscow. On Tuesday, he said on social media that trade talks with India were ongoing and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “very good friend.”
Modi responded on Wednesday, expressing optimism that the discussions would “pave the way for unlocking the limitless potential of the India-U.S. partnership.”
Trump has not yet directly targeted China over its Russian oil imports, as trade negotiations with Beijing remain underway.
The former president, who campaigned on a promise to swiftly end the war in Ukraine, has grown increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress in peace efforts. Despite months of talks, Russia and Ukraine remain deeply divided over territorial concessions and future security arrangements.