Trump lobbies EU for 100% tariffs on China and India

Thursday, 11 September 2025 00:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Donald Trump has called on the European Union (EU) to hit China and India with tariffs of up to 100% to force Russian president Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

The US president made the demand during a meeting between US and EU officials on Tuesday discussing options to increase economic pressure on Russia, a source familiar with the discussions has told the BBC.

Trump, who previously pledged to end the conflict on “day one” of becoming president, is struggling to broker a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv, and Russia’s strikes on Ukraine have intensified.

Separately, Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he plans to talk to Putin on a call this week or early next week.

China and India are major buyers of Russian oil, which helps to keep the country’s economy and war machine afloat.

Last month, the US imposed a 50% tariff on goods from India, which included a 25% penalty for its transactions with Russia.

Although the EU has said it would end its dependency on Russian energy, around 19% of its natural gas imports still come from there.

If the EU does impose the tariffs on China and India it would mark a change to its approach of attempting to isolate Russia with sanctions rather than levies.

Trump’s request to the EU, first reported by the Financial Times, follows remarks from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said Washington was prepared to escalate economic pressure but needed stronger European backing. (BBC)