US president Donald Trump (AP photo)

United States is considering expanding tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, including India, but only if the European Union takes similar steps, a US official told news agency AFP on Tuesday. According to the report, dialling in to talks between US and EU officials, president Donald Trump suggested tariffs of between 50 and 100 per cent on buyers such as China and India.“The source of the money for the Russian war machine is oil purchases by China and India. If you do not get at the source of the money, there’s no way to stop the war machine,” the official said as quoted. Trump, the official added, is “ready to go” but wants the EU to act alongside the US.The discussions in Washington reportedly were led by EU sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan, with US treasury secretary Scott Bessent and officials from the state department and the US trade representative also taking part. Ukraine’s prime minister joined the session, while Trump made his intervention remotely, said the official. A separate official pointed to a bill with 85 Senate co-sponsors that would allow secondary tariffs on countries trading with Russia, but questioned whether the European parliament has the political will to follow through, wrote AFP.‘Looking forward to speak with my good friend Modi’: TrumpThe report comes as Trump on Tuesday said he looked forward to speaking with Prime Minister Narendra Modi “in the coming weeks.” Calling PM Modi a “very good friend,” Trump said talks are continuing to resolve trade barriers between the two countries. “I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our great countries,” he wrote on Truth Social.Also read: Trump says India-US trade talks to continue; confident of successful outcome The remarks follow Trump’s recent comments at the White House, where he described ties with India as “very special” but said he disagreed with some of New Delhi’s policies. Modi responded warmly, saying he “deeply appreciates and fully reciprocates” Trump’s sentiments.