US President Donald Trump has urged NATO to impose 50–100% tariffs on China to weaken its economic support for Russia, claiming that this could help end the war in Ukraine.
In a letter sent to NATO countries on Saturday, Trump also asked them to stop buying Russian oil and to implement major sanctions on Moscow. “I am ready to impose major sanctions on Russia when all NATO nations have agreed and started to do the same, and when all NATO nations stop buying oil from Russia,” he wrote in a social media post.
Donald Trump Pushes NATO for 100% Tariffs on China
He added, “This, plus NATO placing 50% to 100% tariffs on China, to be lifted after the war with Russia and Ukraine ends, will greatly help in ending this deadly, but ridiculous, war.”
Turkiye, a NATO member, is currently the third-largest buyer of Russian oil after China and India, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Other NATO countries buying Russian oil include Hungary and Slovakia.
Trump’s letter comes after his earlier threats to sanction Moscow and to impose secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian oil, including top buyers China and India, if progress is not made to end the conflict in Ukraine.
The announcement also follows heightened tensions after multiple Russian drones recently entered Poland, a NATO ally, raising security concerns.
Donald Trump Imposed 50% Tariffs on India
Last month, Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing India’s continued imports of Russian oil. However, China has not faced similar US tariffs so far. India called the action “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” warning that it could harm industries such as textiles, marine, and leather exports. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that India would not yield under economic pressure.
With the new tariff, India now faces the highest US duty at 50%, along with Brazil. Russia and China have criticized Trump for applying what they describe as illegal trade pressure on India.
Trump’s proposals, including high tariffs on China and sanctions on Russia, signal an aggressive approach to using economic pressure to influence the course of the war in Ukraine and reshape global trade dynamics.
