The United States is considering the imposition of increased tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil—India being one of them—but only if the European Union does the same, a US official told AFP on Tuesday.
In recent talks between American and European officials, President Donald Trump had been said to have suggested levying 50 to 100 percent duties on buyers like India and China.
“The source of the money for the Russian war machine is oil purchases by China and India. If you do not get at the source of the money, there’s no way to stop the war machine,” the official said as quoted. Trump, the official added, is “ready to go” but wants the EU to act alongside the US.
The Washington meeting was attended by EU sanctions envoy David O'Sullivan, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, State Department officials, and representatives from the Office of the US Trade Representative. The Prime Minister of Ukraine also attended the session, while Trump participated virtually, the official said.
A second source referred to the 85 US senators' legislation to allow secondary tariffs on nations that trade with Russia, although questions exist as to whether the European Parliament would have the political will to implement the same, AFP news agency reported.
The progress comes as Trump is extending renewed overtures to India. On Tuesday, he stated that he hopes to talk with Prime Minister Narendra Modi "in the coming weeks."
Calling PM Modi a “very good friend,” Trump said talks are continuing to resolve trade barriers between the two countries. “I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our great countries,” he wrote on Truth Social.
His remarks come shortly after his White House statement describing the US-India partnership as “very special,” while acknowledging differences with some of New Delhi’s policies. Prime Minister Modi responded warmly, stating he “deeply appreciates and fully reciprocates” Trump’s sentiments.
