The BRICS TimesDonald Trump allegedly pressed senior US and EU leaders in Washington to impose up to 100% tariffs on India and China.
The US President Donald Trump is reportedly seeking harsher tariff measures, with duties as high as 100% on India and China, who remain the biggest purchasers of Russian oil. The Republican leader, who already raised tariffs on India to 50%, has now urged the European Union to enforce similar heavy duties on both nations.
As per a report by the Financial Times, Trump directly called into a high-level meeting with senior US and EU officials in Washington and placed his demand there. An unnamed American official was quoted saying, “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.”
The push for 100% tariffs on India and China is being viewed as a tactic to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. This move follows Trump’s earlier ultimatum, where he gave Moscow 50 days to strike a deal to end the Ukraine war.
The US has also indicated it is prepared to match Europe’s tariff decisions on either India or China, potentially escalating duties on imports from both sides.
Trump had earlier announced 25% reciprocal tariffs on Indian imports in July. Soon after, he doubled it to 50%, pointing to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. Interestingly, although China is Russia’s largest oil customer, Washington has not yet imposed heavier duties on Beijing, with the US currently levying a 30% tariff on Chinese imports.
According to the Financial Times, an official noted that Trump is pushing for “dramatic tariffs” and wants them in place until China halts its Russian oil trade.
This development comes shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping presented a united stance at the SCO Summit in Tianjin.
Following the meeting, Trump posted a photo of the three leaders smiling together on his Truth Social account with the caption: “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!”
However, Trump later softened his stance, emphasizing strong relations with India and praising “great Prime Minister” Narendra Modi. More recently, he posted that India and the US would keep negotiating to “address trade barriers” and that he looked forward to more discussions with PM Modi.
India continues to be among the top importers of Russian oil, second only to China. A Reuters report earlier this year revealed that India sourced nearly 35% of its oil from Russia during the first six months of 2025.
Akshay Didwaniya
