Filenews 10 September 2025
The United States is ready to impose additional customs duties on major buyers of Russian oil, mainly China and India, if there is coordination with the European Union, a US official told AFP.
US President Donald Trump digitally participated in a discussion between US and European officials, promoting the imposition of tariffs of 50% to 100% on products imported from Beijing and New Delhi, countries that are among the largest buyers of Russian crude.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessed met in Washington with a European delegation, which included EU "Mr. Sanctions" David O'Sullivan, to consider "strong measures" against Moscow.
According to US sources, the White House believes that the financing of the war in Ukraine is largely supported by purchases of Russian oil from China and India. "If we don't stop the source of this funding, we can't stop the war," a US official said.
Trump appears "ready to move forward", but believes that the step must be taken at the same time as the EU, in order to strengthen the effectiveness of the measures.
A study by the Finnish think tank CREA (June 2025) states that China, India and Turkey are the main buyers of Russian hydrocarbons at this time.
ANA MPE
