Trump’s Plan to Isolate Putin: A Tariff Wall Around India and China

President Donald Trump’s latest strategy to isolate Vladimir Putin involves building a massive tariff wall around India and China. He has formally asked the European Union to join the United States in a plan to impose duties of up to 100% on imports from both countries. The goal is to choke off the economic support that has enabled Russia to continue its war in Ukraine.
This proposal for a joint economic blockade was made during a high-level meeting in Washington. It comes as Trump’s frustration grows over the failure to broker a peace deal and as Russia continues its drone assaults. The US has signaled its readiness to erect this tariff wall immediately, but only if its European allies agree to build it with them.
The move directly targets the strategic partnerships that Putin has nurtured with Beijing and New Delhi. The US has already taken a preliminary step, hitting India with a 50% tariff hike for its energy deals with Moscow. This new initiative seeks to create a far more comprehensive and punitive economic barrier.
The entire plan, however, could be dismantled by the US Supreme Court. A pending case will decide whether the president’s use of tariffs is constitutional. While the administration projects confidence, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has acknowledged the high stakes, stating that a loss would force the government to issue “terrible” refunds that could cost the treasury tens of billions of dollars.