US President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that more punishment will come against countries purchasing Russian energy products after hitting a 25% tariff on India, which should come into effect on Thursday.
“You’ll see more, so this is something I like,” he said in his oval office. “You’ll see more. You’ll see so many secondary sanctions.”
The move is part of Trump’s high stakes efforts to cripple Russia’s economy in the war in Ukraine. He had set a deadline on Friday to create peace before he imposed that economic punishment.
Previous US sanctions under Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, knocked on Russia’s economy, but have not stopped Putin’s war machinery.
This strategy shows escalation in Trump’s tariffs, the use of weapons in the second period of his signature. He previously used them to pursue a vast agenda, from protecting US manufacturing to putting pressure on foreign governments on policy.
However, these “secondary tariffs” are used to select third-party states: the risk of intense relations with the US enemy or further penalties.
Trump expressed optimism about progress during Wednesday’s meeting between Putin and US envoy Steve Witkov, but he suggested that stopping new sanctions isn’t enough.
China is the top buyer of Russia’s energy, and Trump is working to negotiate a new trade deal. US officials explain the great advancements in these consultations. But Trump did not rule out the application of new secondary sanctions on Beijing, despite the possibility of troubling trade debate.
“One of them could be China,” he said. “It may happen. I don’t know. I can’t tell you yet.”
China previously said it would “introduce appropriate energy supply measures for China, which is based in our national interests.”
“There are no winners in the tariff war,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said in a news briefing last week. “Compression and pressure cannot solve the problem. China will firmly protect its own sovereignty, security and development interests.”
The US and China are still working to extend the trade ceasefire, which reduces triple-digit tariffs, which is scheduled to expire on August 12th.
China’s exports accelerated before its looming deadline, beating expectations of a 7.2% increase from the previous year in July. This is faster than June’s 5.8%.
Trump’s secondary tariff threat is escalating tensions between Washington and another partner of its most important trading partner.
The US president announced sweeps and substantial tariffs in India on Wednesday, imposing the penalty imposed on the economy, the fifth largest in the world among US accusations.
In addition to the 25% tariffs that come into effect on Thursday, Trump also announced a 25% tariff on India.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed on Thursday as he defended his decision not to succumb to the threat of US trade and thus defended the decision to face sudden tariffs.
“For us, our farmers’ interests are our number one priority. India will never compromise on the interests of farmers, fishermen and dairy farmers. Personally, I will have to pay a large price for it, but I am ready for it,” he said.
“We have already made clear positions on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and are being made with the overall purpose of ensuring the energy security of India’s 1.4 billion people,” a statement from India’s Foreign Ministry said.
“It is therefore very unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions in which several other countries receive their own interests.”
