US President Donald Trump has floated a 50-100% tariff on China for its close ties with Russia and till the Ukraine conflict ends, and in a post on Truth Social, declared his willingness to place sanctions on Russia if NATO countries joined the effort.
US President Donald Trump issued a letter to NATO nations on Saturday.(AP)
Trump, however, did not mention India, frequently the target of Washington’s ire for its purchases of Russian energy, in the post.
“I am ready to do major Sanctions on Russia when all NATO Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA,” Trump said in his post on Saturday. Trump then called for all NATO nations to collectively place a 50-100% tariff on China, which would be “fully withdrawn” after the end of the Ukraine war.
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The Trump administration has recently upped its pressure on European nations as well as other G7 allies to place tariffs on countries buying Russian energy. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer released a statement on Friday, calling on partner nations to enact tariffs if they were “truly committed” to ending the Ukraine war.
Meanwhile, the US administration has kept up talks with India on trade and Russian energy as New Delhi grapples with the 50% tariff placed on it by Washington in August. Trade talks are expected to restart over the next few weeks while discussions also continue on removing the 25% tariff penalty India faces for buying Russian oil.
“We are actively negotiating with the Indians right now. In fact, the President has invited their commerce and their trade minister to come visit us next week,” said Sergio Gor, the Trump administration’s nominee to take over as the next US Ambassador to India, on Thursday.
“We are not that far apart right now on a deal. In fact, they’re negotiating down to the nitty gritty of a deal,” Gor added, while stating that the two sides remain only weeks away from a deal.
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While the atmosphere around the US-India relationship has improved in recent weeks, New Delhi’s ties to Russia remain an irritant. Washington has been increasingly open to more economic pressure on Russia, especially after the August summit between President Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin failed to achieve a breakthrough to end the Ukraine war.