Key Points:

Trump pressured the European Union to impose 100% tariffs on India and China on Tuesday, 9 September 2025. According to both US and EU officials, Trump delivered his demand to an EU delegation which was in Washington to discuss economic sanctions against Russia.

The discussion was headed by EU Sanctions Envoy David O’Sullivan and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and attended by representatives of both unions, along with Ukrainian PM Yulia Svyrydenko. Trump joined the session remotely.

An EU diplomat revealed that the US was willing to impose similar tariffs themselves but only if backed by the EU. "They are basically saying: We'll do this but you need to do it with us." If accepted, this strategy will mark a significant shift from the EUs earlier policy of pressuring Russia with sanctions instead of tariffs.

This is Trump’s latest attempt to increase economic pressure on Putin in a bid to halt Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which intensified immediately prior to his demand. Over the previous weekend, Russia launched at least 810 drones and 13 missiles at Ukraine – its heaviest bombardment yet - targeting government buildings and killing civilians.

Despite earlier attempts and threats of sanctions, Putin advanced his assault on Ukraine, and Trump failed to follow through with any direct action against Russia. The most direct step has been the US’s imposition of 50% tariffs on India.

See Also: Zelenskyy Says 20 Dead In 'Brutal' Russian Strike On Ukraine's Donetsk Region

Trump had earlier imposed 25% tariffs on India for continuing to buy Russian oil despite his mandate against it, and another 25% reciprocally for India’s tariffs on the US. His demand at the meeting in Washington on Tuesday seems to be a progression of his plan to isolate Russia through secondary tariffs and sanctions – basically, pressuring countries trading with Russia first, to impact their economy.

A US official clarified that the Russian war machinery is funded by its oil exports and that the only way to stop the war is to stop the money.

In this regard India and China are the biggest buyers of Russian oil. Even the EU meets 19% of its natural gas imports through Russia. Since Russia launched its invasion in March 2022, it earned around USD 985 billion from oil and gas exports, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. India’s dependence on Russian crude oil has increased from 0.2% of total imports from before the war, to around 40% as of August 2025.

On the same day Trump issued his demand to the EU, he talked about progress in improving trade relations with India. He mentioned on social media how he hoped to talk to PM Modi in the coming weeks to finalize a successful trade deal. Modi echoed these sentiments, saying India and the US were ‘natural partners.’ [Rh/DS]

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