WASHINGTON — President Trump on Tuesday asked the European Union to impose up to 100% tariffs on China and India for the rogue nations’ purchases of Russian oil to try to crank the economic pressure on the Kremlin, a well-placed source said.
Should Europe choose to levy the up-to-100% tariffs the president requested, Washington may be willing to issue the same on India and China, US officials told The Post.
Beijing and New Delhi are the two most prolific buyers of Russian oil — the main source of revenue that Moscow uses to fund its horrific war on Ukraine.
In July, China paid Moscow more than $7.2 billion for Russian fossil fuels, while India spent roughly $3.6 billion for its imports, according to a report by the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
Trump has been urging his European partners to sanction nations that purchase Russian oil — and stop buying Russian energy products themselves — in phone calls with officials over the past two weeks.
The US doesn’t directly purchase Russian oil.
It has placed 50% tariffs on India for its Russian oil purchases but so far has held off on slapping punishments on China.
The White House has also asked European nations to join in on potential secondary sanctions that would target all nations that buy oil from Russia.
The news came as Trump on Tuesday afternoon announced on Truth Social that he would be speaking with his “very good friend, [Indian] Prime Minister Modi, in the coming weeks.
“I am pleased to announce that India, and the United States of America, are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations,” he said.
“I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!”
