Our negotiations with European officials on how to put pressure on Russia to end the war with Ukraine seem to have gained momentum after flying drones to Polish airspace on Wednesday.
That event – NATO is threatened for the first time during the war – It seems that there has been a firm determination in Brussels and across the continent that more measures must be taken to punish Russia’s major economic supporters – China and India.
During Tuesday’s talks, U.S. President Donald Trump told EU officials that they and the U.S. deal with up to 100% tariffs against China and India, putting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the Ukrainian war.
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China and India are major buyers of Russian oil, and therefore, they play a crucial role in keeping Russia’s economy going on as it continues to pursue an expanded invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022.
Trump made a request to the EU for sanctions David O’Sullivan and other EU officials. The EU delegation is currently discussing sanctions coordination in Washington.
EU diplomats say the U.S. says it is willing to impose similar tariffs if the EU pays attention to Trump’s demands.
“They are basically saying: We want to do this, but you need to do it with us,” the diplomat said.
The U.S. demand, if noted, will lead to a strategic change in the EU, which would rather isolate Russia into sanctions rather than tariffs.
Chinese oil refineries may be approved
But after Poland’s drama, the European Commission said it was considering listing some independent Chinese refineries in its 19th set of sanctions against Russia, EU officials declined to be named after its invasion of Ukraine.
The Commission may immediately propose a new plan after the EU delegation returns to its EU delegation during sanctions talks in Washington.
The EU is increasing the size of third-country companies listed by the company wEstern restriction.
The EU listed two Chinese banks and India’s main Nayala energy refineries in Vadinal in Package 18.
The next proposal is also expected to list banks in two Central Asian countries.
Since the summer, the EU has been focusing on some Chinese refineries to buy Russian oil from the already approved shadow fleet. The source does not provide further details.
EU sanctions require consistency among member states to be passed.
Meanwhile, Indian officials in New Delhi said they do not think the EU is planning any sanctions on India, as there are guarantees no negative surprises that derail the ongoing trade negotiations with the EU.
Don’t discuss our support for Russia: China
Meanwhile, China said at a regular press conference on Wednesday that China is firmly opposed to the so-called economic pressure imposed by the United States, adding that it also opposes discussions China’s economic support for Russia.
Trump often threatens to impose tariffs on India and China as a punishment for their purchase of Russian crude oil.
although Trump’s tariffs on India rose by 25 percentage points in the summer In some ways, Trump has not triggered the more punishing option he proposed because of his economic relations with the Kremlin.
Sometimes, he complains that Europe itself is not completely decoupled from Russia, which provided about 19% of EU gas imports last year, although the group said it was committed to completely ending its dependence on Russian energy.
Trump craved for a trade deal
Later on Tuesday, Trump suggested that the U.S. could actually promote trade with India, and wrote in a nighttime social media post that the U.S. and India are working to address trade barriers between countries. He looks forward to talking to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration is continuing negotiations to resolve trade barriers with India and will talk to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a sign of resetting after weeks of diplomatic friction.
Trump, in a clear tone change, said he was looking forward to talking to Modi in the “next weeks” and expressed optimism that they could complete the trade deal.
“I’ll certainly not be difficult to achieve success for our two great nations,” he said in a social media post.
Team that reached the agreement: Modi
Modi got optimistic in her social media post on Wednesday, saying Washington and New Delhi were “close friends and natural companions.”
He said teams from both countries are working to end the trade discussions as early as possible.
“I look forward to talking to President Trump, too. We will work together to ensure a brighter, more prosperous future for both of our peoples,” Modi said.
Both leaders’ latest comments have driven Indian stocks to rise by more than 0.5%.
Trump has promised that in months the two sides would almost have to reach a trade deal that would only raise new tariffs on Indian imports to 50%, raising questions about the future of U.S.-India relations, which has been strengthened in recent years, including Trump’s first term.
Over the past few weeks, Trump and his senior officials have Criticizes India for buying oil from Russia And said India is funding Ukraine’s war, which New Delhi denies.
Disharmony with the United States coincides with India’s heating to China. At the end of last month Modi and was seen holding hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“While Trump and Modi’s social media statements suggest a potential settlement between the United States and India, it is still too early to assume the resolution will arrive quickly,” said Madhavi Arora, an economist at Emkay Global.
“With Trump, we will need to wait for more specific signals that a deal is in progress.”
The speech begins again in a few weeks
CNBC-TV18 reports that Indian and U.S. trade officials may plan visits to restart face-to-face trade negotiations in September. U.S. trade negotiators plan to make a visit to New Delhi from August 25 after trade negotiations hit major obstacles.
The Ministry of Trade of India declined to comment on the report of a new round of meetings between trade negotiators.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, two-way commodity transactions in the United States totaled $129 billion in 2024, with the U.S. trade deficit of $45.8 billion.
Trump said last week that India proposed lowering its tariffs on U.S. goods to zero, adding that the proposal was late and South Asian countries should lower their responsibilities a few years ago.
- Jim Pollard’s additional editor Reuters
Note: The title and image on this report have been changed and the LEAD paragraph (and possible EC sanction details) was updated on September 10, 2025.
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