Trump calls on EU to impose 100% tariffs on India and China to stop Ukraine war

view original post

Donald Trump has said he is prepared to hit India and China with even more sweeping tariffs if Europe is willing to cooperate with him on squeezing Russian economically to stop the war in Ukraine.

The US president made the demand after dialling into a meeting between senior European Union and US officials in Washington on Tuesday to discuss the ways to pressure Russia to come to the negotiating table, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the discussions.

Mr Trump has called for a 100 per cent tariff on the two Asian countries for their energy imports from Russia, saying the US will mirror the levies imposed by the European countries.

“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 US official said.

On the same day, Mr Trump reassured New Delhi that trade talks were progressing smoothly and would likely yield a successful deal, signalling double messaging from the Trump administration that has mounted pressure on India in recent days for trade with Russia.

Mr Trump said that the US and India “are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers” and he is looking forward to speaking with his “good friend” prime minister Narendra Modi in the coming weeks.

However, a meeting between the two leaders is unlikely as Mr Modi is sending his foreign minister S Jaishankar to address the United Nations General Assembly on 27 September.

“I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!” he wrote on Truth Social on early Wednesday Indian time.

The US president’s upbeat tone follows months of turbulent trade negotiations that have strained relations between Washington and New Delhi. The Trump administration has already doubled tariffs on India, taking it to 50 per cent, including a 25 per cent penalty for purchasing Russian weapons and oil, which Washington says helps finance Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Mr Modi reciprocated the optimism in a social media post on Wednesday, saying Washington and New Delhi “are close friends and natural partners.”

“I am also looking forward to speaking with President Trump. We will work together to secure a brighter, more prosperous future for both our people,” Mr Modi said.

Mr Trump’s tariff on India for purchasing Russian crude oil is in contrast to a softer stance towards China, which is the largest buyer of Russian energy amid ongoing trade talks to secure a deal with the second-largest economy.

New Delhi has said it has been selectively targeted for purchasing Russian oil while the EU continues to import liquefied natural gas from Russia.

Despite mounting US pressure, New Delhi and Moscow intend to increase their annual trade by 50 per cent to $100bn (£74bn) over the next five years.