Bloc finds itself in a jam after US president presses European Union to impose 100% tariffs on India and China to pressure Putin
For almost a year, European Union officials have been dangling the carrot of joint work on China policy in front of US President Donald Trump in an effort to keep him engaged in supporting Ukraine.
For months, their overtures were ignored. Now that the US leader has tuned in – but only on the condition of maximum tariffs – Europe finds itself in a bind.
On Wednesday evening, ambassadors from the EU’s 27 member states were briefed by the bloc’s sanctions envoy, David O’Sullivan, on his trip to Washington this week, according to three diplomatic sources.
The veteran diplomat confirmed that Trump had asked the EU to impose a 100 per cent tariff on China and India to halt their purchases of Russian energy. He added that Washington would match the move but only in tandem with Europe.
