Trump ready to impose sanctions on Russia if NATO countries stop buying Russian oil
United States President Donald Trump has said he is ready to sanction Russia, but only if all NATO allies agree to completely halt purchases of Russian oil and impose their own sanctions on Russia to pressure it to end its more than three-year war in Ukraine.
The US president said it was shocking that members of the alliance continue to buy Russian oil, and also urged the group to place 50-100% tariffs on China to weaken its economic grip over Russia.
I am ready to do major Sanctions on Russia when all NATO Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, which he described as a letter to all NATO nations and the world.
Trump proposed that NATO, as a group, place 50-100 percent tariffs on China to weaken its economic grip over Russia.
Trump also wrote that NATO’s commitment to winning the war has been far less than 100% and the purchase of Russian oil by some members of the alliance is shocking. As if speaking to them, he said, It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia.
NATO member Turkiye has been the third-largest buyer of Russian oil, after China and India. Other members of the 32-state alliance involved in buying Russian oil include Hungary and Slovakia, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
If NATO does as I say, the WAR will end quickly, Trump said. “If not, you are just wasting my time.
As he struggles to deliver on promises to end the war quickly, Trump has repeatedly threatened to increase pressure on Russia. Last month, he slapped a 50 percent tariff on India over its continued purchases of Russian oil, though he has not yet taken similar actions against China.
Trump’s social media post comes days after Polish and NATO forces shot down drones violating the country’s airspace during Russia’s biggest-ever aerial barrage against Ukraine. Polish airspace has been violated many times since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but never on this scale anywhere in NATO territory. Wednesday’s incident was the first time a NATO member is known to have fired shots during Russia’s war in Ukraine.
