Annabelle Gordon | Reuters. U.S. President Donald Trump has asked the European Union to hit China and India with tariffs of up to 100% over the countries' Russia oil purchases, in a move aimed at turning up the heat on Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.
The proposal, first reported by the Financial Times, was confirmed to CNBC's Megan Cassella by two sources familiar with the matter.
Trump made the request when he was called into a meeting with senior U.S. and EU officials in Washington, the Financial Times reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the discussion.
Washington was also prepared to "mirror" any tariffs imposed by Europe on the two countries, the report said.
India has said the tariffs are "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable," while calling out the U.S. and the EU's trade with Russia.
Trump's proposal comes as his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last month has yielded little progress toward securing a ceasefire in Ukraine.
After the meeting, Putin told reporters in a joint press conference with Trump that the "root causes" of the conflict needed to be addressed for a sustainable peace. »