WASHINGTON: The United States stands ready to expand tariffs targeting purchasers of Russian oil if the European Union implements similar measures to undermine Moscow’s war funding.
President Donald Trump participated in US-EU discussions by phone, proposing tariff rates between 50% and 100% on nations buying Russian oil including China and India.
These high-level talks coincide with EU sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan leading a delegation in Washington for meetings focused on preventing Russian sanctions evasion.
Trump joined the discussions alongside Ukraine’s prime minister as part of coordinated efforts to address Russia’s revenue streams.
“The source of the money for the Russian war machine is oil purchases by China and India,“ explained a US official involved in the talks.
The official emphasized that targeting these financial sources remains essential to disabling Russia’s military capabilities.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent participated alongside representatives from the US Trade Representative’s office and State Department.
US officials clarified that while Trump remains prepared to act immediately, any tariff implementation requires European cooperation.
Another official referenced bipartisan Senate legislation with 85 co-sponsors that would authorize secondary tariffs on countries trading with Russia.
This official questioned whether the European Parliament possesses sufficient political will to implement similar economic pressure measures.
Discussions extended beyond tariffs to address the status of immobilized Russian sovereign assets held internationally.
Trump recently threatened additional sanctions following Russia’s massive aerial assault against Ukrainian targets.
The administration has previously threatened penalties against nations purchasing Russian oil but has only implemented secondary sanctions against India so far.
“We want to get serious about ending this war and strongly encourage our European friends to move forward,“ stated the US official.
The European Union is preparing its nineteenth sanctions package against Russia since the 2022 invasion.
This new package reportedly includes expanded secondary sanctions targeting countries assisting Russian sanctions evasion.
German and French diplomats are advocating for sanctions against Russian oil giant Lukoil within the upcoming EU measures.
Treasury Secretary Bessent confirmed that all options remain available to support peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
The Treasury Department declined immediate comment regarding the specific outcomes of Tuesday’s discussions. – AFP
