'50-100% tariff’: Donald Trump launches massive threat tirade on China; seeks quick end to Ukraine war

US President Donald Trump has threatened sweeping new tariffs of up to 100% on Chinese goods while calling on Nato allies to halt oil purchases from Russia, arguing that such measures would end the war in Ukraine swiftly.

In an aggressive post on Truth Social, which he described as “a letter to all Nato nations and the world,” Trump claimed that only decisive economic action could stop what he called a “deadly, but ridiculous, war.” He insisted that Nato had failed to fully commit to defeating Moscow and accused some members of weakening the alliance by continuing to buy Russian oil.



Also read: Donald Trump pleads Nato nations to sanction Russia
“I am ready to do major Sanctions on Russia when all Nato Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all Nato Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA,” Trump wrote. “Anyway, I am ready to ‘go’ when you are. Just say when?”

Tariffs on China, sanctions on Russia

Trump went further, urging the alliance to impose punitive tariffs on Beijing, ranging from 50 to 100 per cent, arguing that Beijing’s support was vital to Moscow’s war effort. “China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia, and these powerful Tariffs will break that grip,” he wrote, suggesting the tariffs would be lifted once the conflict ended.

Also read: Trump says patience with Putin 'running out fast'
The president blamed his predecessor Joe Biden and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy for prolonging the war, while absolving Russian President Vladimir Putin. “This is not TRUMP’S WAR (it would never have started if I was President!), it is Biden’s and Zelenskyy’s WAR,” he said.

Trump claimed that “7,118 lives” had been lost in the past week alone, describing the bloodshed as “crazy” and insisting his approach could end the conflict rapidly. “If Nato does as I say, the WAR will end quickly, and all of those lives will be saved! If not, you are just wasting my time, and the time, energy, and money of the United States,” he added.

Tensions in Nato and Europe

Trump’s remarks come amid heightened tensions after Russian drones entered Polish airspace last week, prompting Nato fighters to intercept them. Poland and other European leaders dismissed Trump’s suggestion that the incursion might have been a “mistake,” calling it a deliberate provocation.

Nato has since launched “Eastern Sentry,” a new defensive operation bolstering its eastern flank with aircraft and ground systems from France, Denmark, Germany and the UK. Meanwhile, Britain and France announced fresh sanctions and military support to Ukraine, while Canada, chairing the G7 this year, convened finance ministers to discuss cutting off Russia’s revenues.

The Trump administration has already imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, including a 25 per cent levy linked to New Delhi’s purchase of Russian crude. The move has strained US-India trade ties, with talks on a new agreement delayed.

Speaking to G7 countries, US treasury secretary Scott Bessent and trade representative Jamieson Greer echoed Trump’s message, urging allies to form a “unified front” against Moscow’s oil revenues. “Only with a unified effort that cuts off the revenues funding Putin’s war machine at the source will we be able to apply sufficient economic pressure to end the senseless killing,” they said.

Despite international measures, Russian attacks on Ukraine have escalated, with Moscow unleashing massive drone strikes while Kyiv hit back at Russia’s largest oil port in the Baltic.