US President Trump threatens 100% secondary tariffs on countries buying Russian energy

US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a secondary 100 per cent tariff on countries that import oil, gas and uranium from Russia, saying he is very unhappy with Moscow’s intransigence in finding an end to the war with Ukraine. Speaking to reporters with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House, he gave a 50-day deadline for the punitive tariff to take effect if Russia does not make a peace deal with Ukraine. The tariff is directed against Russia, but if it comes into force, India, which is racing to finalise a bilateral trade agreement with the US, would be a collateral victim of the Washington-Moscow standoff. Trump said he supported a proposed bill that would impose a 500 per cent tariff on countries buying energy products from Russia. If China and India can be forced to stop buying energy from Russia, Washington expects it would impact Moscow’s war machine by squeezing the funds available to it. India has defended the oil purchase from Russia because it is needed for the development of the country, as well as helping stabilise international oil prices.