US President Donald Trump said that the US permanent representative to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, intends to put pressure on Washington's European allies to stop buying Russian oil.
“The Europeans are buying oil from Russia. This shouldn't be happening, right?“, the US leader said, speaking on September 20 at a dinner organized by the ACI think tank in Virginia. According to Trump, Whitaker “is not going to let this go on for long“. Trump stressed that Whitaker should consult with US allies on this issue. “Matt, they should stop buying oil from Russia. Will you talk to them? Please talk to them“, the US president said, addressing Whitaker.
The American leader noted that his administration is taking steps to increase US oil production and reduce its price. “We are really bringing it down. We want to bring it down“, he added. According to Trump, “a little more decline“ in oil prices will lead to “an automatic end“ of the conflict in Ukraine.
Trump also expressed confidence that he has “a good relationship with [Russian] President Vladimir Putin“.
On September 13, the US president said that he was ready to impose severe sanctions on Russia if all members of the North Atlantic Alliance acted together and stopped buying Russian oil. He noted that the continued import of energy resources from Russia by some NATO allies has “weakened the alliance's negotiating position“. In addition, the resident of the White House called on NATO countries to impose import tariffs of 50-100% on China. According to him, this will help end the Ukrainian crisis, and these tariffs can be canceled after a peaceful settlement.
According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian, Beijing will take decisive countermeasures if NATO countries, under pressure from the United States, try to impose tariffs on China under the pretext of buying Russian oil.