Donald Trump has asked the EU to impose tariffs of up to 100% on India and China as part of an effort to force the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to end the war in Ukraine. The demand was made during a meeting between US and EU officials discussing options to increase economic pressure on Russia, according to a White House official.
One US official said the Trump administration was “ready to go, ready to go right now, but we are only going to do this if our European partners step up with us”. The proposal comes amid Trump's frustration at brokering a peace deal, including at a high-profile summit with Putin in Alaska, and amid Russia's increasing drone attacks, including its largest ever air attack on Ukraine last week. Trump told reporters he expected to have a call with the Russian president “this week or early next week”.
The move follows Putin strengthening his relationship with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, and India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, at a showpiece summit in China. Last month, the US increased tariffs on Indian imports to 50% in response to the country's purchases of Russian oil. On Tuesday, Trump wrote on his social media platform that trade negotiations with India would proceed, saying he looked forward to speaking with Modi.
EU officials, led by the bloc's sanctions chief, David O'Sullivan, participated in the discussions in Washington, which featured senior US treasury officials. News of the talks came as Mexico announced it would raise tariffs on automobiles from China and other Asian countries to 50%, from a prior level of 20%, with the economy minister, Marcelo Ebrard, saying the move was intended to protect jobs.
The pressure on the EU comes at a pivotal moment for Trump's tariff policies. In May, the US trade court ruled that the tariffs exceed any authority granted to the president, a ruling upheld by a federal appeals court in August. The case is now heading to the supreme court, which is set to hear it in the first week of November. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said he was “confident” of winning, but acknowledged the US would have to refund tens of billions of dollars in tariffs should the court rule them illegal.
