US President Donald Trump has called on European Union officials to adopt tariffs of up to 100% on Chinese products as part of a coordinated effort to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to a US official and an EU diplomat, Trump also encouraged the bloc to impose similar tariffs on Indian goods, arguing that both nations’ purchases of Russian oil are helping sustain Moscow’s economy during its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022.
The request was made during a conference call with EU sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan and other European representatives currently in Washington for sanctions discussions. A European diplomat noted that Washington made clear it would only move forward with such tariffs if the EU joined in, describing the US message as, “We’ll do this, but only if you do it with us.”
If the EU were to comply, it would mark a departure from its current strategy of relying largely on sanctions to isolate Russia. Trump, whose proposal was first reported by the Financial Times, has often floated tariff threats against both China and India in response to their energy dealings with the Kremlin. Earlier this summer, his administration raised tariffs on Indian imports by 25 percentage points, citing its ties to Moscow, though the harsher penalties he has mentioned have not yet been implemented.
Trump has also voiced frustration at Europe’s own continued reliance on Russian energy, pointing out that Russian gas still accounted for around 19% of EU imports last year. The bloc, however, has insisted it remains committed to ending that dependence.
Despite his tough rhetoric, Trump softened his tone toward India later on Tuesday. In a social media post, he noted that the US and India were working together to reduce trade barriers and expressed interest in speaking with Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon. The shift suggests that while Trump is willing to use tariff threats to apply pressure over Russian oil, he remains open to strengthening the broader $129 billion trade relationship with India.
