Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Sep 10: In a move that could escalate global trade tensions, US President Donald Trump has reportedly urged the European Union (EU) to join Washington in imposing tariffs of up to 100 per cent on India and China, two of the largest importers of Russian crude oil.
According to a report by the Financial Times, Trump dialled into a high-level meeting between US and EU officials in Washington on Tuesday and pressed for coordinated action to choke Moscow’s oil revenues. “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 was quoted as saying.
The report said Washington is willing to “mirror” any EU tariffs on Beijing and New Delhi, potentially triggering a steep rise in duties. Trump has already hiked levies on Indian goods to 50 per cent, while tariffs on Chinese exports stand at 30 per cent.
“The president came on this morning, and his view is that the obvious approach here is, let’s all put on dramatic tariffs and keep the tariffs on until the Chinese agree to stop buying the oil. There really aren’t many other places that oil can go,” a US official told the newspaper.
The move reflects Trump’s growing frustration over the failure to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia, despite his earlier claim that he could end the conflict “within hours” of taking office. He recently threatened further sanctions on Moscow after Russia launched its largest-ever aerial assault on Ukraine.
The development comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the SCO summit. Interestingly, Trump’s latest call for punitive tariffs contrasts with his recent statement expressing optimism about ongoing trade talks with India.
On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I am pleased to announce that India and the United States of America are continuing negotiations to address the trade barriers between our two nations. I look forward to speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi, in the upcoming weeks. I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our great countries!”