US President Donald Trump has urged the European Union to place tariffs of up to 100 percent on imports from India and China. According to the Financial Times, he made the demand during a meeting in Washington on Tuesday, September 9, as part of efforts to increase pressure on Russia for its war in Ukraine.

“We’re ready to go, ready to go right now, but we’re only going to do this if our European partners step up with us,” a US official told FT. Another official added that Washington was prepared to “mirror” EU tariffs on India and China, which could mean further hikes on goods from both nations.

Trump reportedly said, “The obvious approach here is, let’s all put on dramatic tariffs and keep the tariffs on until the Chinese agree to stop buying the oil. There really aren’t many other places that oil can go.”

He acknowledged the risks, saying, “Any of these things will, of course, be costly, and for the president to do it, we need our EU partners and ideally all of our partners with us. And we’ll share the pain together.” He added the move would only succeed if Europeans had “the political will to bring the war to an end.”

This push comes shortly after Washington doubled tariffs on Indian imports, raising them from 25% to 50% due to New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil. India has strongly rejected the measures, calling them “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable,” while also pointing out that both the US and EU continue to trade with Russia.

EU data shows that in 2024, trade with Russia was worth €67.5 billion, while services trade stood at €17.2 billion in 2023.

Despite the tariff threats, Trump later took a friendlier tone on India. Posting on Truth Social, he said, “India, and the United States of America, are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations. I look forward to speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi, in the upcoming weeks.”

Within Europe, the debate continues. Some countries are considering secondary sanctions on China and India for purchasing Russian oil and gas, but others remain cautious because of their close trade ties with both. US officials have also clarified that Washington will not target India and China alone, without Europe’s full support.