US Calls on G7 to Impose ‘Meaningful’ Tariffs on China, India Over Russian Oil Purchases

Their effectiveness depends on ‘whether the G7 and NATO members are willing to bear the costs based on their domestic ... considerations,’ an analyst said.

A container ship waiting to berth at a port in Lianyungang, in China's eastern Jiangsu Province, on Aug. 7, 2025. AFP via Getty Images

Finance ministers from the Group of Seven (G7), which includes the United States, the UK, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada, held a video conference on Sept. 12 to discuss a U.S. call to impose “meaningful tariffs” on China and India for purchasing Russian oil, in an attempt to pressure Russia to end its war against Ukraine.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told G7 finance ministers in a phone call on Sept. 12 that they should join the United States in imposing secondary tariffs on countries that purchase oil from Russia, including China and India, according to a statement by Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.