President Donald Trump has issued a stark ultimatum to India and China: stop providing economic support to Russia, or face crippling 100% tariffs from both the United States and the European Union. This aggressive plan, proposed to the EU this week, is a high-stakes effort to isolate Vladimir Putin and force him to end the war in Ukraine. A US official confirmed the proposal was made during a meeting focused on new sanctions.
The move signals a major shift toward secondary sanctions, targeting the network that allows Russia to withstand Western pressure. Trump’s frustration with the stalled peace process and Russia’s continued military campaign is the primary driver behind this call for drastic action. The administration has made it clear, however, that it will only proceed if the EU commits to the same policy.
This direct economic threat comes as Putin has been actively strengthening his partnerships with both New Delhi and Beijing. The US has already acted on this front, imposing 50% tariffs on India for its continued purchase of Russian oil. Now, Trump wants to create a powerful US-EU axis to magnify this pressure and extend it to China.
This bold foreign policy initiative is happening just as the legal basis for Trump’s tariffs is being challenged at the highest level. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the matter in the coming months, and a decision against the administration would be a major blow, forcing what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described as “terrible” refunds of billions of dollars.