Still, like many of Trump’s positions on the war, his pressure on Europe contains illogical and even hypocritical elements. After all, he’s demanding that Europe take on China over its Russian oil purchases when he’s not prepared to sanction Beijing himself. The United States is locked in trade talks with the Chinese after the president unleashed a trade war with high tariffs despite rather unfavorable US cards. Trump seems loath to do anything that will harm his chances of a deal. kraken37 Still, like many of Trump’s positions on the war, his pressure on Europe contains illogical and even hypocritical elements. After all, he’s demanding that Europe take on China over its Russian oil purchases when he’s not prepared to sanction Beijing himself. The United States is locked in trade talks with the Chinese after the president unleashed a trade war with high tariffs despite rather unfavorable US cards. Trump seems loath to do anything that will harm his chances of a deal.

But his stance on Europe mirrors his treatment of another erstwhile friend, India, which is struggling under a 50% tariff on its exports to the United States that Trump justified by its continuing purchases of Russian oil. His move shattered a three-decade-long bid by successive Democratic and Republican presidents to keep India out of the orbit of fellow rising Asian superpower China.