U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he is ready to impose extensive secondary sanctions, including new tariffs against India and China, to increase pressure on Russia. He is willing to take such action only if similar measures are supported by the countries of the European Union. According to the American leader, Washington will mirror any tariffs that the EU imposes on China or India, and Trump himself proposes to set tariffs as high as 100%.
This is reported by Finway
Demands for Solidarity Among Allies
The strategy proposed by Trump is a serious test for the unity of the European Union, as in the past, individual countries such as Hungary have blocked tougher sanctions against Russia’s energy sector. The implementation of new restrictions requires unanimous support from all EU member states. Analysts note that the fate of further U.S. sanctions largely depends on Trump’s decision, who has previously avoided direct actions against Russia despite repeated refusals from Russian President Putin to negotiate a ceasefire in the war.
International Reaction and Additional Measures
It is worth noting that Trump has already raised tariffs on Indian goods to 50% due to India’s continued purchases of Russian oil. Currently, the EU’s special representative for sanctions, David O’Sullivan, is in Washington conducting consultations with American experts regarding further strengthening of anti-Russian measures.
At the same time, Latvia is preparing its own sanctions regime against Russia in addition to the existing EU-level restrictions. Ukraine is also urging international partners to act more decisively: Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko has appealed to the U.S. and the EU to cut off Russia’s oil revenues by imposing restrictions on the largest oil companies, the so-called “shadow fleet,” oil refineries, traders, and other intermediaries.
“The U.S. and the EU must cut off Russia’s oil revenues by imposing restrictions against oil giants, the ‘shadow fleet,’ oil refineries, traders, and other intermediaries.”