US President Donald Trump on Monday said existing sanctions on Russia are not strong enough to curb Moscow’s war in Ukraine, arguing that tougher measures are needed. He added that European nations must stop buying Russian crude and strengthen their sanctions to match Washington’s pressure.
“Europe is buying oil from Russia. I don’t want them to buy oil,” Trump told reporters, according to Reuters. “The sanctions they’re putting on are not tough enough. I’m willing to do sanctions, but they’re going to have to toughen them up to match what I’m doing.”
The US President has repeatedly voiced disappointment with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying during a Fox News interview that his patience is wearing thin. While he has stopped short of announcing new sanctions, Trump has signaled that harsher measures on banks and oil remain on the table, alongside tariffs designed to tighten a hold on Moscow.
The Republican leader has continued to argue that such penalties would deal a direct blow to Russia’s ability to fund its war by cutting into one of its largest export markets.
“We’re going to have to come down very, very strong,” Trump had earlier said, adding that European governments must also step up.
A Reuters report noted that the US Treasury has echoed that call, urging G7 partners to ramp up economic pressure. Officials insist that coordinated action is the only way to undercut the Kremlin’s revenue stream and bring the war closer to an end.
As part of that push, Trump slapped an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, bringing total duties to 50%. The move is aimed at pressuring New Delhi to scale back its imports of discounted Russian crude but has further strained already fragile trade talks between Washington and New Delhi.
In contrast, Trump has avoided levying fresh duties on Chinese imports despite Beijing’s oil purchases from Russia.
Trump's 100% threat & EU resistance
Meanwhile, Trump has gone further in his public messaging, calling for tariffs of between 50% and 100% on Chinese imports in retaliation for Beijing’s ongoing oil trade with Moscow.
In another social media post last week, Trump had said NATO members should also join in imposing the same 100% tariff rate, and that the duties could be rolled back if Russia halted its invasion of Ukraine. According to him, China’s oil purchases “greatly weaken” the alliance’s bargaining position with Moscow, and only crippling tariffs would break what he described as Beijing’s “grip” over Russia.
A blanket 100% tariff on Chinese goods would represent one of the harshest trade measures ever proposed against the world’s second-largest economy, after it's 50% tariff slap on New Delhi — risking a new front in an already delicate trade truce.
European Union officials, however, have shown little willingness to follow that lead. EU sources told Reuters that Brussels is unlikely to impose such broad tariffs on India or China (two largest buyers of Russian crude), despite pressure from Washington.
An EU delegation, which included the bloc’s top sanctions official, travelled to Washington this week for talks on coordinating economic measures against Russia. Officials said Trump urged the EU to hit Indian and Chinese goods with tariffs of up to 100% in an effort to cut off funding for the Kremlin’s war.
But EU diplomats said tariffs are treated differently from sanctions under the bloc’s system and require lengthy investigations before they can be justified legally. So far, the EU has used tariffs sparingly in connection with the Ukraine war, applying them mainly to Russian and Belarusian fertilizers and agricultural products to prevent dependency and protect European producers.
“So far, there is no discussion on possible tariffs neither on India… nor with China,” one EU diplomat told the news agency.
“Europe is buying oil from Russia. I don’t want them to buy oil,” Trump told reporters, according to Reuters. “The sanctions they’re putting on are not tough enough. I’m willing to do sanctions, but they’re going to have to toughen them up to match what I’m doing.”
The US President has repeatedly voiced disappointment with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying during a Fox News interview that his patience is wearing thin. While he has stopped short of announcing new sanctions, Trump has signaled that harsher measures on banks and oil remain on the table, alongside tariffs designed to tighten a hold on Moscow.
The Republican leader has continued to argue that such penalties would deal a direct blow to Russia’s ability to fund its war by cutting into one of its largest export markets.
“We’re going to have to come down very, very strong,” Trump had earlier said, adding that European governments must also step up.
A Reuters report noted that the US Treasury has echoed that call, urging G7 partners to ramp up economic pressure. Officials insist that coordinated action is the only way to undercut the Kremlin’s revenue stream and bring the war closer to an end.
As part of that push, Trump slapped an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, bringing total duties to 50%. The move is aimed at pressuring New Delhi to scale back its imports of discounted Russian crude but has further strained already fragile trade talks between Washington and New Delhi.
In contrast, Trump has avoided levying fresh duties on Chinese imports despite Beijing’s oil purchases from Russia.
Trump's 100% threat & EU resistance
Meanwhile, Trump has gone further in his public messaging, calling for tariffs of between 50% and 100% on Chinese imports in retaliation for Beijing’s ongoing oil trade with Moscow.
In another social media post last week, Trump had said NATO members should also join in imposing the same 100% tariff rate, and that the duties could be rolled back if Russia halted its invasion of Ukraine. According to him, China’s oil purchases “greatly weaken” the alliance’s bargaining position with Moscow, and only crippling tariffs would break what he described as Beijing’s “grip” over Russia.
A blanket 100% tariff on Chinese goods would represent one of the harshest trade measures ever proposed against the world’s second-largest economy, after it's 50% tariff slap on New Delhi — risking a new front in an already delicate trade truce.
European Union officials, however, have shown little willingness to follow that lead. EU sources told Reuters that Brussels is unlikely to impose such broad tariffs on India or China (two largest buyers of Russian crude), despite pressure from Washington.
An EU delegation, which included the bloc’s top sanctions official, travelled to Washington this week for talks on coordinating economic measures against Russia. Officials said Trump urged the EU to hit Indian and Chinese goods with tariffs of up to 100% in an effort to cut off funding for the Kremlin’s war.
But EU diplomats said tariffs are treated differently from sanctions under the bloc’s system and require lengthy investigations before they can be justified legally. So far, the EU has used tariffs sparingly in connection with the Ukraine war, applying them mainly to Russian and Belarusian fertilizers and agricultural products to prevent dependency and protect European producers.
“So far, there is no discussion on possible tariffs neither on India… nor with China,” one EU diplomat told the news agency.
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