President Donald Trump has reportedly called on the European Union (EU) to levy tariffs of up to 100% on China and India as part of a coordinated effort to pressure Russia to end its war in Ukraine.
Trump Urges EU cooperation On Russia Sanctions, Tariffs Loom
Trump made the request during a Tuesday meeting in Washington between senior U.S. and EU officials, the Financial Times reported. The discussion focused on strategies to increase the economic pressure on Moscow amid the war.
Trump's request depends on EU participation. The U.S. is ready to "mirror" any tariffs the EU imposes on China and India, which could result in higher U.S. duties on imports from both nations.
EU officials, headed by the bloc's sanctions chief David O’Sullivan, took part in talks in Washington with senior U.S. Treasury officials. U.S. diplomats in Europe have stressed to EU capitals that the Trump administration will not impose punitive measures on buyers of Russian oil and gas without EU cooperation.
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Proposal Comes Amid Ongoing US-India Trade Talks
This move comes after Trump accused European leaders of indirectly funding the war in Ukraine by purchasing Russian oil. He urged them to cut off Russia and pressurize China to do the same.
Trump’s proposal also comes at a time when trade talks between the U.S. and India are ongoing. The two countries are negotiating to address trade barriers, and the odds of a tariff agreement have been substantially raised by cryptocurrency bettors.
Meanwhile, tensions in the Russia-Ukraine conflict have been escalating, with Poland’s armed forces shooting down Russian drones in its airspace, marking the first direct military engagement between a NATO member and Russian assets since the Ukraine conflict began in 2022.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
