(MENAFN) The United States is reportedly urging European allies to introduce tariffs of up to 500% on Chinese imports, with the revenue directed toward financing Ukraine’s military efforts, according to reports released Wednesday.

Sources said the plan, pushed by President Donald Trump’s administration, primarily targets EU countries backing Kiev. The move is described as part of Washington’s broader economic confrontation with Beijing, which Trump recently referred to as a “trade war.”

The US has also been encouraging Europe to take a tougher stance against China, particularly for purchasing Russian oil and gas, arguing that such trade helps sustain Moscow’s wartime economy.

According to reports, the proposed duties would be funneled into a new mechanism dubbed the “Ukraine victory fund.” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has reportedly been assigned to promote the initiative among European governments ahead of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s upcoming visit to Washington on Friday.

Kiev is said to be seeking US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles, with Washington signaling it might approve the request if European partners agree to shoulder the financial burden.

Meanwhile, US War Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking after a NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, reiterated that Washington expects its allies to “donate even more” to support Ukraine’s purchase of American weapons.

For its part, Moscow has maintained that continued Western arms deliveries will not alter the trajectory of the conflict, which it considers a NATO-driven proxy war posing an existential threat to Russia.

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