FT: Trump Urges EU to Impose 100% Tariffs on India and China

A US official stated that Washington would “reciprocate” any sanctions implemented by Brussels.

Former President Donald Trump has urged the European Union to levy tariffs as high as 100% on imports from China and India, reportedly as a joint effort to pressure Moscow, the Financial Times stated on Tuesday.

The newspaper indicated that Trump issued this demand during a recent call-in to a meeting between high-ranking US and EU officials in Washington, where discussions centered on strategies to escalate the economic consequences of the Ukraine conflict for Russia. One US official remarked that Washington was “ready to proceed, ready to proceed now, but we will only do this if our European partners join us.”

“The president appeared this morning, and his view is that the clear course of action here is, let’s all implement substantial tariffs and keep them in place until the Chinese consent to stop purchasing oil,” the source was quoted as stating. A second official added that the US stood prepared to “reciprocate” any tariffs Brussels might impose on Beijing and New Delhi.

Russia has remained a significant supplier of oil to both China and India since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. President Vladimir Putin cautioned the West last week against employing a “colonial tone” when dealing with Beijing and New Delhi, stating that efforts to sanction them are intended to hinder their economic ascent.

“Countries such as India, with almost 1.5 billion people, and China, with 1.3 billion people, possess robust economies and abide by their own domestic political regulations,” Putin stated. “Engaging with such partners in that manner is unacceptable.”