The European Union plans to impose sanctions this week against several more Chinese companies linked to the Kremlinʼs military efforts in an effort to persuade Trump to finally put pressure on Russia.
Politico writes about this, citing diplomatic sources.
New Chinese companies could be included in the 19th package of sanctions that the EU plans to adopt on Friday. Politico notes that this is not enough for Trump, because he demands high tariffs and previous sanctions did not suit him.
Trump discussed the package with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday night. She said on social media that the new measures would target “cryptocurrencies, banks and energy,” but did not mention China.
EU diplomats are bracing for their efforts to fail to impress Trump, fearing that Trumpʼs demands, especially on tariffs that the EU considers unrealistic, could serve as an excuse to delay action against Russia and shift the blame to NATO allies.
"Trump is setting conditions that are impossible to fulfill in advance, only to say later that he canʼt do anything. This is a game to avoid responsibility," said an official from one of the EU countries.
What preceded
Trump recently said he was ready to impose “serious sanctions” on Russia if all NATO countries agreed to do the same and took action. Trump also said that the US sanctions against Russia would be conditional on NATO countries completely abandoning imports of Russian oil and imposing tariffs on China of 50% to 100%.
In response, EU diplomats want to demonstrate a willingness to both end imports of remaining Russian oil, which have already been sharply reduced, and support Trumpʼs efforts to pressure China.
At a meeting of G7 finance ministers last week, all agreed on the need to pressure Russia and support Ukraine, but the EU rejected the idea of tariffs on China, a G7 official said. He added that they were open to pressure, but using other tools. The EU prefers targeted sanctions on companies linked to the war rather than general tariffs.
One EU diplomat suggested that Trump also has commercial motives. Tariffs of up to 100% on Chinese imports would cause an inflationary shock in Europe and hit its economy. A complete ban on Russian energy would strengthen the position of the United States, which seeks to expand exports of liquefied natural gas.
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