President Donald Trump has made a bold proposal to the European Union: let’s jointly impose “historic” 100% tariffs on India and China to cripple Russia’s support network. This plan is the centerpiece of a new US strategy to force Vladimir Putin to end his war in Ukraine by applying overwhelming economic pressure on his key partners. The idea was floated to a visiting EU delegation in Washington.
The call for such unprecedented tariffs is born from Trump’s frustration with the deadlocked diplomatic situation and Russia’s unrelenting attacks. A White House official confirmed the US is prepared to act immediately but has made European cooperation a non-negotiable condition. “We are only going to do this if our European partners step up with us,” the official stated.
This move is a direct challenge to the growing alliance between Moscow, Beijing, and New Delhi. The US has already taken unilateral action against India, imposing a 50% tariff for its purchases of Russian oil. Now, Trump seeks to create a powerful economic coalition that would have a far more profound impact.
This aggressive foreign policy initiative is shadowed by a critical domestic legal challenge. The Supreme Court is set to rule on the president’s authority to set tariffs, and a loss could be financially devastating. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that an unfavorable ruling would force the government to issue massive refunds, a “terrible” scenario for the US Treasury.
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