US President Donald Trump has executed two near-simultaneous back-flips. First, he urged the EU to impose gigantic 100 per cent tariffs on India and China to choke off their purchases of Russian crude oil. Then, almost in the same breath, he posted an effusive message on his Truth Social site praising ongoing US-India trade talks.
In his social media post, Trump declared he was looking forward to, “speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi in the upcoming weeks,” adding that negotiations between the two countries were under way and would, “have a successful conclusion”.
The Financial Times reported that Trump “dialled into a meeting” of US and EU diplomats in Washington to “discuss ways to heighten the economic cost of the war for Moscow.”
“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,” an EU diplomat quoted Trump as telling the gathering.
According to the FT, a senior US official added that Washington would follow the EU’s lead, with “the US prepared to ‘mirror’ any tariffs on India and China imposed by the EU, potentially leading to an increase in tariffs on both countries.”
Trump’s extraordinary phone call, the paper reported, stemmed from his growing frustration that his efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war have so far failed.
A US trade negotiator told the FT that Trump had called as the meeting was under way. “His view is that 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 the oil can go.”
Trump’s attempt to hit India with sweeping sanctions is all the more startling, coming as it does virtually in the same breath as his glowing remarks about US-India negotiations. “India and the United States of America, are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two nations. I look forward to talking to my very good friend Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the upcoming weeks,” he insisted.
Modi responded warmly on X to Trump’s overtures, saying, “India and the US are close friends and natural partners. I am confident that our trade negotiations will pave the way for unlocking the limitless potential of the India-US partnership.”
India and China together buy the lion’s share of Russian crude exports, with much smaller quantities snapped up by countries such as Turkey and Bulgaria. Trump is betting that simultaneous, sky-high tariffs on both Asian giants would choke Moscow’s oil sales and squeeze its foreign exchange reserves.
The US has already slapped an additional 25 per cent tariff on India for buying Russian crude, on top of another 25 per cent levy for failing to clinch a trade deal. Washington imposed huge tariffs on China in April but abruptly withdrew them after the move triggered market turmoil.
Trump’s latest demand comes just as the EU is weighing “secondary sanctions” on India and China to curb Russian oil imports. But many European governments remain wary, concerned such drastic steps could upend their own trade relationships.
