Trump Urges EU to Impose 100% Tariffs on India and China for Russian Oil

Washington — American President Donald Trump has urged the European Union to impose tariffs of as much as 100% on India and China for their imports of Russian oil, a step taken to maximize pressure on Moscow as the war against Ukraine continues unabated.

The offer, originally revealed by the Financial Times and confirmed to CNBC, was made in a meeting with senior U.S. and EU officials in Washington. Sources close to the negotiations said that Washington is willing to "mirror" any European tariffs imposed on India and China, highlighting Trump's hard-line trade approach as diplomatic overtures with Russia stall.

The United States has already imposed punitive tariffs of 25% on some of its imports from India connected to Russian oil, bringing the overall duties to as much as 50%. New Delhi has accused the actions as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable," emphasizing that both the U.S. and EU still have high levels of trade with Russia. European Commission statistics indicate that EU goods trade with Russia totaled €67.5 billion ($78.1 billion) in 2024 and services trade amounted to €17.2 billion in 2023.

India's bilateral trade with Russia has jumped to record levels, with data from its Moscow embassy showing a volume of $68.7 billion between the year ending March 2025, almost six times that prior to the pandemic. China, the world's largest Russian oil customer, has thus far escaped further U.S. actions after agreeing with Washington earlier this year to limit new tariffs on Chinese imports to 30%.

Trump's appeal to Brussels comes after his recent summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which yielded nothing in terms of a ceasefire in Ukraine. While Trump reported some "headway" in negotiations, Putin emphasized that the underlying causes of the war must be resolved in order for peace to endure. Meanwhile, Putin has strengthened his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the three held a meeting last week at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Beijing.

Even as the tariff threats escalated, Trump adopted a softer tone toward India on Tuesday, declaring that Washington and New Delhi had restarted trade talks. Referring to Prime Minister Modi as "very good friend," Trump added that he was optimistic an agreement could be reached. Relations with China, however, continue to be tense, with a recent visit by Beijing's senior trade negotiator to Washington producing minimal breakthroughs.

The White House has not released an official announcement about Trump's appeal to the EU, and European leaders have yet to make any comments. Trade analysts caution that such blanket tariffs may ignite global supply chains, complicate transatlantic relations, and pose additional headaches to the already shakiest attempt at brokering peace in Ukraine.