The US will pressure G7 countries to hit India and China with sharply higher tariffs for buying Russian oil in an attempt to force Moscow into peace talks with Ukraine, according to four people briefed on the plans, reports the Financial Times.

In a video call on Friday, finance ministers from the Group of Seven leading economies will discuss a US proposal for a round of new measures as Donald Trump steps up efforts to broker a peace deal in Ukraine.

The US president this week urged the EU to impose up to 100 percent tariffs on China and India but is now expanding the push to include G7 allies.

“Chinese and Indian purchases of Russian oil are funding Putin’s war machine and prolonging the senseless killing of the Ukrainian people,” said a US Treasury department spokesperson.

“Earlier this week, we made it clear to our EU allies that if they are serious about ending the war in their own backyard, they need to join us and impose meaningful tariffs that will be rescinded the day the war ends,” they added.

“President Trump’s Peace and Prosperity Administration is ready, and our G7 partners need to step up with us.” 

The spokesperson declined to state a figure for the planned tariffs but people familiar with the situation said the US had proposed levels of between 50 and 100 percent. 

The US last month increased tariffs on Indian imports to 50 percent over the country’s purchases of Russian oil. In April, Trump sharply increased tariffs on Chinese imports but scaled them back in May after a market backlash.

EU officials know that imposing such steep tariffs on two key trading partners would be difficult given the economic impact and likely retaliation from Beijing. The bloc is hoping to seal a trade deal with New Delhi within weeks as it seeks closer ties with a rising Asian power.

But Brussels hopes to persuade the US that it can achieve similar pressure through other measures such as tougher sanctions on Russian energy producers and bringing forward a 2027 deadline for its member states to stop buying Russian’s oil and natural gas. 

That, three European officials said, would require Trump to put pressure on Hungary and Slovakia, two countries led by pro-Russian leaders who continue to buy Russian oil via pipeline and have vetoed tougher EU sanctions in the past.

The EU is already debating whether to put sanctions on China for buying cheap Russian oil and natural gas.