US says Europe refused to back tariffs on India, China over Russian energy

Washington: The US has held off enforcing proposed penalties on countries buying Russian energy after European allies declined to support secondary tariffs targeting India and China, senior officials said, amid continuing efforts to pressure Moscow over the Ukraine conflict.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington had approached European governments earlier this year to join the proposed measures but received no commitment. He questioned why the US should shoulder the economic burden alone while European countries continued importing Russian energy.

Speaking to NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Bessent cited shipments from Russia’s Yamal facility, saying 136 of 140 cargoes dispatched during the first half of the year reached European destinations.

He stressed that the administration had not lifted existing sanctions against major Russian energy companies, describing the current pause as a temporary review of its approach.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright separately identified India and China as the main countries potentially affected by a proposed sanctions law targeting nations trading with Russia. Speaking to CNN’s State of the Union, he said President Donald Trump had suspended enforcement rather than abandoned the measures.

Wright also defended a separate easing of restrictions on Russian diesel exports, arguing that it could encourage Moscow to reduce military operations. He maintained that restrictions on Russian crude oil remained in place.

The administration rejected suggestions that it was withdrawing support for Ukraine, citing continued intelligence assistance and weapons supplied through NATO allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and some Republican lawmakers have warned that easing pressure could benefit Moscow without ending the war.

With IANS inputs