Donald Trump News / Trump writes a letter to NATO to impose '50 to 100% tariff on China'

Donald Trump News: US President Donald Trump has played a new bet to end the Russia-Ukraine war and weaken Russia's economic position. On Saturday, Trump wrote a letter to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) demanding not only strict sanctions on countries buying oil from Russia, but also imposing tariffs of 50 to 100 percent on China. The move is part of his strategy to economically weaken Russia's "war machine".

Trump's letter to NATO: Demand for strictness on Russia and China

Trump, in a letter posted on his social media platform Truth Social, clearly urged NATO countries to completely stop buying oil and gas from Russia. He wrote, "I am ready to impose strict sanctions on Russia, provided all NATO countries agree to this and stop buying oil from Russia." Along with this, Trump proposed that tariffs of 50 to 100 percent be imposed on China, which can be removed after the Ukraine-Russia war ends. According to him, this step will "greatly help in ending this deadly, but senseless war."

Trump believes that NATO countries buying oil from Russia weakens their diplomatic strength. He said, "Buying oil from Russia by some NATO countries reduces our bargaining power. If NATO does not take such a step, America's time, money and energy will be wasted."

Targeting countries buying oil from Russia

Trump also mentioned in his letter that NATO member country Turkey is third after China and India in buying oil from Russia. Apart from this, other NATO countries like Hungary and Slovakia are also buyers of Russian oil. Trump had earlier also warned of imposing secondary sanctions on countries buying oil from Russia, especially India and China. As a result, a 50 percent tariff has already been imposed on India and 30 percent on China.

Trump recently imposed tough sanctions on India for buying oil from Russia, including a 25 per cent reciprocal tariff and an additional 25 per cent tariff, taking the total tariff on India to 50 per cent. His move was criticised in India, where Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India will continue to buy oil from Russia based on its energy needs and national interests.

Tariffs on China: A strategy to pressure Russia

Trump believes that China has strong influence over Russia, and imposing heavy tariffs on it can weaken Russia's war machine economically. "China has strong control over Russia, and these powerful tariffs will break that control," he said in his letter. However, Trump had earlier talked about working towards a trade deal with China, which could reduce tensions and import duties between the two countries. But now his demand presents a new challenge for China.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently said that imposing tariffs on China could increase global oil prices, which is why the US has not yet been as strict on China as it has been on India. This double standard has also been criticized, as no major sanctions have been imposed on China yet as compared to the 50 percent tariff on India.

Pressure on India and NATO countries

A major part of Trump's strategy is to economically punish countries buying oil from Russia. A 50 percent tariff has already been imposed on India, and now similar sanctions are being sought on China. Apart from this, Trump has urged NATO countries to stop buying oil from Russia, particularly targeting countries like Turkey, Hungary and Slovakia.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also recently warned countries buying oil from Russia, especially India, China and Brazil, of tariffs up to 100 percent. This warning is in line with Trump's strategy, which is trying to pressure Russia to end the Ukraine war by reducing its energy income.

India's stance and future challenges

India has repeatedly made it clear that its oil purchases are based on national interests and market forces. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that India will continue to buy cheap oil from Russia, and the impact of US tariffs will be balanced by steps like GST reforms. However, Trump's new demand and NATO's warnings may increase pressure on countries like India and China.

This policy of Trump may further increase tensions in India-US trade relations, especially when India has accused the US of adopting double standards. India has also argued that the US itself buys uranium and other materials from Russia, yet India is being toughened.