Trump Urges EU to Impose Tariffs on China and India Over Russia Oil Ties

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – President Donald Trump has asked the European Union to slap tariffs of up to 100% on certain Chinese and Indian goods in a bid to increase economic pressure on Moscow to end its war in Ukraine, European officials confirmed Wednesday.

The extraordinary request was made Tuesday when Trump dialed into a meeting of senior U.S. and EU sanctions officials in Washington, according to two EU officials familiar with the discussion. At one point, Trump proposed a 50% tariff on China and India, before suggesting duties as high as 100%, they said.

The White House did not immediately comment. The EU, however, is not expected to follow through on such sweeping trade restrictions. One EU official noted the bloc “doesn’t use tariffs as sanctions” and is instead preparing a 19th sanctions package against Russia. That package may target foreign companies accused of aiding Moscow but will likely stop short of new oil or gas restrictions due to internal political sensitivities.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in her annual State of the Union address Wednesday, emphasized the need for tougher measures. “We need more sanctions,” she said in Strasbourg, stressing a faster phase-out of Russian fossil fuels and tighter action against the “shadow fleet” transporting sanctioned oil.

Trump’s push comes as Washington seeks to curtail India’s purchases of discounted Russian oil and China’s broader support for Russia’s economy. The U.S. has already raised tariffs on Indian goods, taking some import duties as high as 50%. India denounced the move as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” even as its trade with Russia surged to nearly $69 billion in the year ending March 2025–up nearly sixfold since before the pandemic.

China, the largest buyer of Russian oil, has thus far avoided such secondary tariffs after striking a truce with Washington earlier this year that reduced some new levies to 30%.

Trump’s request for EU coordination underscores U.S. frustration with Moscow’s resilience despite 18 prior rounds of Western sanctions. His direct appeal also comes weeks after his high-profile summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which produced no breakthrough on a ceasefire.

Meanwhile, Putin continues to tighten ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meeting both leaders at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization gathering in Beijing last week.

Despite tensions, Trump sought to project optimism on trade relations with New Delhi, writing Tuesday night on X that U.S.-India negotiations had resumed and praising Modi as a “very good friend.” Talks with Beijing, however, appear stalled after a late-August visit by China’s top trade negotiator yielded little progress.

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