New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has asked the European Union (EU) to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on India and China as part of a joint effort to increase pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
The report came shortly after Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanged positive outlook about the India-US relations and referred to ongoing efforts to seal a trade deal.
The president made the extraordinary demand after dialling into a meeting on Tuesday between senior US and EU officials gathered in Washington to discuss ways to heighten the economic cost of the war for Moscow, the report said, citing unnamed officials.
The FT quoted a US official as saying that Washington was prepared to “mirror” any tariffs on China and India imposed by the EU.
The relations between New Delhi and Washington are on a major downturn after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent including a 25 per cent additional duties for India’s purchase of Russian crude oil.
India described the US action as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”.
However, the exchanges between Modi and Trump on social media indicated some efforts to reset the ties.
In the last few days, several Trump administration officials including White House trade advisor Peter Navarro have used offensive language to criticise India for its procurement of Russian crude oil.
India’s big oil lobby has turned the largest democracy in the world into a “massive refining hub and oil money laundromat for the Kremlin”, Navarro said recently.
Defending its purchase of Russian crude oil, India has been maintaining that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics.
India turned to purchasing Russian oil sold at a discount after Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and shunned its supplies over its invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022.
Consequently, from a mere 1.7 per cent share in total oil imports in 2019-20, Russia’s share increased to 35.1 per cent in 2024-25, and it is now the biggest oil supplier to India.
The FT’s report came amid renewed push by Trump to end the Ukraine conflict.
The US president held summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last month to explore ways to end the conflict.
