Trump willing to impose new tariffs on India, China to squeeze Russia: Report

US President Donald Trump has reportedly said that he is willing to impose sweeping tariffs on India and China in order to bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table – but under certain conditions. He said he would impose these tariffs if the European Union nations are willing to do so too. 

According to a report in Bloomberg, Trump made the clarification during a meeting with senior US and EU officials. The US is willing to mirror the tariffs imposed by Europe on either of the countries, the report added citing a source.

However, this would be a challenge as many EU nations, including Hungary have blocked more stringent sanctions that target Russia’s energy sector. For Trump to impose the ‘mirroring’ tariffs, all of the EU nations must back the sanctions. 

Further sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers and restrictions on its banks, financial sector and major oil companies were also discussed as potential measures, the report added. 

Trump’s suggestions came after the deadline for Putin to hold a bilateral meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy passed without any action. In fact, on the contrary, Moscow have only intensified its bombing on Ukraine. 

Separately, Trump, assuming a softer tone than his earlier criticisms, wrote on Truth Social that India and US will continue their trade talks, and that he looks forward to speaking to his “very good friend” Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This calmer tone comes after months of criticism, rhetoric, and blame against India. 

Trump and his administration have been vocally critical about India’s continued purchase of Russian oil, which New Delhi has said is driven by national interest and market dynamics. Moreover, critics have pointed out that the constant barrage of anti-India commentary by Trump and his administration would only drive New Delhi away from Washington – a partnership that has been carefully crafted across decades – and towards Beijing.