Washington: In a move that could escalate global trade tensions, US President Donald Trump has reportedly asked the European Union (EU) to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on India and China, two of the largest importers of Russian crude oil.

According to a report by the Financial Times, Trump made the demand by dialing into a meeting between senior US and EU officials in Washington on Tuesday, where strategies were being discussed to cut Moscow’s oil revenues that fund its war in Ukraine.

Quoting US officials, the report said Washington was ready to mirror any tariffs placed on Beijing and New Delhi by the EU. Such a move could significantly increase duties on imports from both nations, with tariffs on Indian goods already raised to 50 per cent and Chinese exports facing 30 per cent levies.

“The president came on this morning, and his view is that the obvious approach here is, let’s all put on dramatic tariffs and keep the tariffs on until the Chinese agree to stop buying the oil,” one US official told FT.

Trump’s renewed push reflects growing frustration within the White House over the inability to broker peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which he once claimed he could end “within hours” of taking office.

Just days ago, he threatened new sanctions on Moscow after its largest aerial attack on Ukraine to date, while also warning countries that continue to buy Russian oil of potential penalties. India has already faced so-called secondary sanctions, though China has not been directly targeted despite its continued trade with Russia.

The timing of Trump’s remarks is notable, coming shortly after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. His tough stance also appears to contradict his own message earlier this week, when he described US-India negotiations as progressing well.

On Truth Social, Trump had written, “I am pleased to announce that India and the United States of America are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations… I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!”

Trump’s seemingly conflicting positions underscore the uncertainty in US trade policy, with his calls for harsher tariffs on allies coinciding with declarations of strong bilateral ties.