US President Donald Trump called on the European Union to hit India and China with 100% tariffs on Tuesday, a move designed to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his war in Ukraine, according to the Financial Times.
India and China play a major role in Russia’s economy, acting as key buyers of its oil, and therefore helping the country stay afloat as it continues its aggression in Ukraine, which has intensified in recent months.
Trump made his request during a conference call between EU and US officials in Washington.
According to FT sources, the US said it was willing to mirror tariffs, but only if the EU goes ahead with the levies.
“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,” one US official said.
Trump has criticised the EU on numerous occasions for its reliance on Russian gas. Although the bloc has pledged to decouple from Moscow, around 19% of EU gas imports came from the country last year.
If the EU agrees to Trump’s proposal, it would mark a change of strategy, as the bloc has until now opted for sanctions against Russia.
Trump’s request comes after a summit last week between Chinese President Xi Jinping, Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where they bolstered alliances. It also arrives ahead of an EU–India Free Trade Agreement meeting set to take place on Friday.
EU trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and Agriculture and Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen will travel to India to meet Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.
Last month, Trump imposed 50% tariffs on India due to its continued purchases of Russian oil.
Nevertheless, in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump said: “I am pleased to announce that India, and the United States of America, are continuing negotiations to address the trade barriers between our two nations.” He added that he was looking “forward to speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi, in the upcoming weeks.”
Trump previously promised to end the war in Ukraine on “day one” of becoming president, although he has since struggled to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.