U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to impose large new tariffs on India and China to increase pressure on Russian President Putin to initiate negotiations with Ukraine. However, these measures will only be implemented if similar actions are adopted by the European Union countries. Washington is prepared to synchronize any tariffs that the EU imposes on China or India, and Trump suggests discussing the introduction of tariffs up to 100%.
This is reported by Business • Media
Internal Obstacles in the EU and the U.S. Position
The proposed measures remain contentious, as the adoption of new sanctions within the EU requires the support of all member states. In the past, countries like Hungary have blocked stricter restrictions, especially regarding the Russian energy sector. Analysts emphasize that further steps from Washington depend on Trump’s final decision, who has so far avoided direct punishment of Russia despite several of his own deadlines and Putin’s ongoing refusal to negotiate an end to the war.
Sanction Coordination and Country Reactions
Currently, the EU’s special representative for sanctions, David O’Sullivan, is in Washington. Together with a group of experts, he is negotiating further anti-Russian sanctions, which could enhance coordination between the U.S. and the EU. Meanwhile, Latvia plans to implement its own sanctions regime against Russia, which will complement the existing EU-level restrictions.
It is worth noting that Trump recently doubled tariffs on imports from India, raising them to 50%, in response to the continued purchases of Russian oil by the Indian side.
“Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko has called on the U.S. and the EU to cut off Russia’s oil revenues by imposing restrictions against oil giants, shadow fleets, refineries, traders, and other intermediaries.”
Thus, the issue of increasing sanction pressure on Russia remains at the center of international attention, and further decisions will depend on the willingness of the U.S. and EU countries to act together.