Donald Trump’s new plans to corner PM Modi, asks NATO members to impose 100 percent tariffs on India, US President likely to…

Brussels: In a major development, US President Doland Trump has reportedly called on NATO and European Union member states to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on India(BHARAT). The US president made this demand during a meeting between US and European Union officials last Tuesday. The US has described Trump’s demand as an attempt to accelerate a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. It is important to note that Trump, during his election campaigns, had promised to stop the Russia-Ukraine war on the very first day of his presidency, but even after eight months he has not been able to achieve any success.

As per the Financial Times report, Trump has asked the European Union to impose tough sanctions on Russia and on countries that buy oil from it. His statement came after US Treasury Secretary Scott Basent said that Washington is preparing to impose tougher economic sanctions on Russia, but for that it needs strong European support.

Ready to impose sanctions on Russia: Doland Trump

To recall, in a letter posted on his Truth Social account on September 13, Trump had said that he is “ready to impose major sanctions on Russia” if NATO “agrees to do so.” He also claimed that higher tariffs on China would weaken Beijing’s “control” over Russia. However, Trump did not explicitly name India(BHARAT) on this occasion, but his indication was clearly towards New Delhi.

Here are some of the key developments:

• Trump recently imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on India(BHARAT) for importing Russian crude oil.
• However, he has so far refrained from imposing a similar duty on China.
• The Trump administration is working on a fragile trade truce agreement with China.
• Trump fears that imposing tariffs on China could put this agreement in jeopardy, which would directly impact the US economy.
• Earlier, the US accepted China’s terms on TikTok, and on Friday Doland Trump is scheduled to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

It is important to note that India(BHARAT) and the European Union are close trading partners. In 2024, the EU’s goods trade deficit with India(BHARAT)—mainly in electronic equipment, pharmaceuticals, and basic metals such as iron and steel—stood at €22.5 billion (USD 26 billion).

If the EU were to impose tariffs of 50 to 100 percent, it would disrupt manufacturing, raise production costs, and drive up consumer prices across the bloc. This is why the EU will remain cautious about adopting unilateral punitive tariffs.