In Brief
Donald Trump appealed to the European Union (EU).
Impose up to 100% import duties on India and China.
Trump directly intervened and presented this stance when American and European officials gathered to discuss the Ukraine war.
Donald Trump : U.S. President Donald Trump has appealed to the European Union (EU) to impose up to 100% import duties on India and China. It is said that this is an attempt to stop Russia's income for the war, as both these countries are purchasing large amounts of Russian crude oil. Trump directly intervened and presented this stance when American and European officials gathered in Washington to discuss the Ukraine war.
The Trump administration has already increased tariffs on Indian goods by up to 50% and on Chinese goods by up to 30%. Now they want to include Europe in this campaign to exert more pressure. According to officials, the U.S. will increase tariffs in accordance with the tariffs imposed by Europe. This could potentially lead to a significant increase in the tax burden on goods from both countries.
Trump's dissatisfaction has increased due to the failure to achieve a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. He had previously claimed to stop the war "within hours." Instead, he has now threatened to impose strict sanctions on Russia and has taken a stance to penalize countries buying Russian oil. Secondary sanctions have already been imposed on India, while no concrete steps have been taken against China yet.
However, inconsistencies are also evident in Trump's statements. Just a few days ago, he expressed confidence that India-U.S. trade negotiations would be successful. He also announced that there would be a dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the near future. Thus, on one hand, there is a threat to pressure India, and on the other hand, an assurance of "good relations," leading to confusion at the international level due to these contradictory messages.