President Trump called on the EU to impose 100% tariffs on Chinese and Indian goods to put pressure on Russia.
US President Donald Trump, who officially returned to the White House after winning the election in late 2024, is urging the European Union (EU) to impose 100% tariffs on goods imported from China and India. This move, according to Mr. Trump, is part of a strategy to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, forcing Moscow to find a way out of the long-running conflict in Ukraine.
Washington has said it is ready to coordinate similar tariffs if the EU takes action, opening up a scenario where the US and Europe simultaneously tighten trade with the two major Asian economies. However, the Trump administration has also noted that the US will not unilaterally sanction countries that continue to buy oil and gas from Russia unless there is consensus and parallel action from Europe.
The move is seen as a tough continuation of the trade policy that Mr. Trump initiated in his first term, when he imposed record high tariffs on Chinese goods in the 2018–2019 trade war. Now, with the Ukraine conflict lingering and Europe still heavily dependent on imported energy, Mr. Trump’s call puts the EU in front of a difficult choice: either increase financial pressure on Russia through tariffs, or face the risk of being seen as a “leakage” in the economic front with Moscow.
Some trade experts say that if the EU accepts Washington’s proposal to impose 100% tariffs, China and India will have to recalculate their export strategies to the European market. This could disrupt the global supply chain and cause prices of many essential goods in Europe to skyrocket. Conversely, if the EU refuses, the US could continue to act unilaterally, raising the risk of a Chia in transatlantic trade policy.
The story has been further heated by a recent meeting between US and EU trade officials in Brussels, where the US side stressed that “there can be no half-hearted war with Russia.” Meanwhile, EU member states remain divided: some Eastern European countries strongly support Trump’s proposal, while major economies such as Germany and France are concerned about the direct consequences for domestic production and consumption.
