Washington (TDI): United States President Donald Trump has reportedly called on the European Union to impose tariffs as high as 100 percent on imports from China and India.
The appeal came during a high-level conference call in Washington with EU sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan and other EU officials to coordinate economic measures against Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine.
Trump argued that both China and India, as major buyers of Russian oil, are effectively helping sustain Moscow’s military and financial resilience. Trump added that if the EU takes such action, the US would follow suit with similar tariffs.
Such a proposal has surfaced for the first time since Russia-Ukraine war started in February 2022. If EU enacts such a move, it will be a first and one-of-its-kind aggressive, trade-based measure – a shift away and distinct from sanctions.
EU officials, while open to coordinated pressure, are reportedly cautious about the potential economic fallout of such sweeping tariffs, given their deep commercial ties with both China and India.
Read More: US, India Signal Trade Thaw as Trump, Modi Plan Talks
Trump’s call comes amid his administration’s own escalation of tariffs. The US, last month, raised duties on Indian imports to 50%, citing New Delhi’s continued oil purchases from Russia, although trade talks continue to renegotiate these tariffs.
Similarly, Trump has threatened renewed pressure on China, claiming it also indirectly supports Russia through energy deals. It is noteworthy that tariff talks are also ongoing between China and the US, with no decisive headway yet.
China reacted swiftly to Trump’s EU proposal, calling it coercive economic infringement while also raising objection on Trump linking it all to Ukraine conflict.
The timing of this proposal is rather odd because Trump is also planning to talk with India’s Prime Minister Modi in the coming weeks. “I feel certain there will be no difficulty in reaching a successful conclusion for both of our great nations,” he wrote on social media.
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