In a direct challenge to its European allies, the Trump administration has called on the EU to “step up” and join a plan to levy tariffs of up to 100% on China and India. This bold proposal, aimed at ending the war in Ukraine by pressuring Russia’s economic partners, was made by President Donald Trump during a meeting with EU and US officials. According to a White House source, the US is ready to act but will not do so alone.
The demand for a united front comes from Trump’s growing frustration over the intractable conflict and his inability to secure a peace deal with Vladimir Putin. Recent escalations in Russian attacks have added a sense of urgency, prompting the administration to seek more aggressive economic tools. By making the plan conditional, Washington is pushing the EU to share the responsibility and risk of such a confrontational trade policy.
The choice to target China and India is a calculated move to counter Putin’s efforts to build a coalition of support outside the West. The US has already shown its willingness to act by imposing 50% tariffs on India for its Russian oil purchases. This new proposal aims to create a far more formidable economic bloc that Russia’s allies could not easily ignore.
This international gambit is playing out against the backdrop of a critical domestic legal fight. The Supreme Court is slated to rule on the constitutionality of Trump’s tariff authority, a decision that could validate or dismantle his entire trade agenda. A loss would be financially calamitous, forcing the US Treasury to refund tens of billions of dollars to importers.