Washington, D.C. — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday said that U.S. President Donald Trump has raised tariffs on India as part of a broader strategy to pressure Russia over the ongoing Ukraine conflict. The tariff on India has now doubled to 50%, with Trump adding a fresh 25% levy on top of the earlier 25%.
Leavitt explained during her press briefing that the sanctions were intended to exert “secondary pressure” on Russia. “The President has applied tremendous public pressure to bring this war to an end. He has taken concrete steps—such as sanctions on India and other measures. He’s made it clear he wants this war to stop and dismissed suggestions that we should wait another month before any meeting takes place,” she said.
Trump recently met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, where he expressed openness to a potential trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate peace in Ukraine. Calling the day “very successful,” Trump described progress in talks, while Zelensky said it was the “best conversation” he has had with the U.S. President so far.
Leavitt stressed that Trump is determined to act quickly to secure peace. “The President wants to act swiftly and end this war as soon as possible… With several European leaders, including the NATO Secretary General, leaving the White House, they all agreed this is a positive first step. It’s encouraging that the two leaders will sit down together, and the President expects that to happen,” she stated.
She added that Trump’s persistence has prompted strong support from European allies. “The President met with European leaders at the White House just 48 hours after sitting down with President Putin on American soil. The progress shared in the readout following that meeting was so significant that every one of those leaders boarded a plane and came to the United States within two days,” Leavitt said.
The Press Secretary reiterated the administration’s stance that the Ukraine war would not have begun under Trump’s leadership. When asked about Putin’s own claim supporting this view, she confirmed, “True. Do you accept that as true? The European leaders do. And President Putin himself said that, by the way.”
On the question of long-term security guarantees, Leavitt said Trump is focused on building lasting peace in collaboration with European leaders and NATO. “The President has been directly engaging with European leaders and NATO on how to secure lasting peace and end the war. He has invested an extraordinary amount of time, energy, and effort into this, and he remains determined to see it through,” she said.
The White House maintains that Trump’s leadership and diplomatic push have accelerated discussions for a potential resolution to the conflict, with active coordination among Ukraine, Russia, and European allies.
