President Donald Trump has discharged an economic sterilizer message which requires the European Union to place rupturing 100 percent tariffs on India and China over their persistent Russian oil imports threatening the most catastrophic trade fight in contemporary history as Washington frantically tries to choke the war machine of Russia and compel Vladimir Putin to complete the war in Ukraine via the implementation of economic warfare never seen before.
Trump insists on a joint tariff attack on the allies of Russia
In an effort to ratchet up pressure on Moscow to cease the war in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump has requested the European Union to impose up to 100 percent tariffs on Russia’s oil imports into the nations, according to CNBC. Two sources who were notified about the issue affirmed the suggestion.
The request came together when Trump was summoned to a senior U.S and EU officials meeting in Washington, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, quoting individuals in the discussion. The report also added that Washington was willing to be a replica of whatever Europe would charge the two nations in terms of tariffs.
It is intended to prevent Russia by blocking its capacity to finance its war in Ukraine, inasmuch as since the invasion, India and China have remained in a buy mode of Russian oil to significant volumes, according to Cryptopolitan.
Even the presence of tariffs already puts an already-strained relationship
The American tariff on Indian imports has already been raised by 25 percent because of New Delhi’s buying Russian oil, which adds to the chances that the tariff will reach 50 percent. India has alleged the tariffs to be unfair, unwarranted, and unreasonable, and called out the U.S and the trade the EU had with Russia.
U.S. officials engaging in the discussions reported that Washington is ready to act in case the EU does. One of them underlined that the U.S. desires the cooperation of Europe and is ready to act instantly. Self-reputedly, Trump has informed his advisors that dramatic tariffs are more effective than sanctions.
According to the Indian embassy in Moscow, bilateral trade between India and Russia has been at an all-time high of $68.7 billion at the end of March 2025, almost 5.8 times, compared to the trade of $10.1 billion at pre-pandemic times.
Strategy is made difficult by European resistance
Diplomats in Europe are divided, however. The growing India and China so severely generate fear in some trade capitals of a major clash between the countries, particularly with Beijing. Some people indicate that the war in Ukraine must be responded to with more toughness at all costs.
The largest Russian oil buyer, China, has hitherto escaped the so-called second wave of tariffs, having struck a compromise with Washington to cut the new taxes on its goods to 30 percent. Russia is a bilateral trading partner of the EU with a trade of 67.5 billion euros ($78.1 billion) in 2024.
Negotiating is being done in the midst of coercive measures
This proposal by Trump is after his encounter with the Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last month did not produce much ground on whether there will be a ceasefire in Ukraine. By the end of the meeting, Putin informed the media that the underlying factors behind the conflict must be resolved as a way of ensuring lasting peace.
The high-cost tariff proposals by Trump are at best a gamble, the apple to the South to shame Russia with a dagger in its back. As much as the strategy is intended to compel Putin to act in Ukraine, there is a high chance that the strategy could trigger widespread economic effects in terms of trade, and it will put relationships with India and China in jeopardy at a very critical time in geopolitical history.