EU rejects Trump’s push for 100% tariffs on India & China for buying Russian oil

The European Union (EU) has rejected US President Donald Trump’s push for 100% tariffs on India and China, as per media reports.

Earlier on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump sought 100 per cent tariffs against India and China as they are the main buyers of Russian oil. He sought for the EU to impose tariffs on the two countries to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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On Tuesday (local time), Trump urged the EU to impose sanctions on the two countries through EU Sanctions Envoy David O’Sullivan and other officials.

The European Union’s delegation was in Washington to deliberate on sanctions coordination against Russia following its military operations in Ukraine in 2022.

Notably, the EU is in the midst of concluding a trade deal with New Delhi. The two sides are deliberating this week, looking to resolve their differences over issues of agriculture, dairy, and non-tariff barriers to meet an ambitious end-of-year deadline for a deal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday had a telephonic conversation with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, deliberating bilateral ties, trade, and global issues, including the Ukraine conflict.

Efforts have intensified to finalise the free trade agreement between India and the European Union by December.

The 13th round of FTA talks will be held in Delhi this week, while the next round will be held in Brussels next month. So far, 11 chapters have been agreed upon, but differences remain on market access and the origin of rules. There are also differences on non-tariff barriers, but both sides are hoping to find a balanced solution.