US President Donald Trump accused Europe of continuing to buy Russian oil and said that NATO allies are showing softness towards Moscow despite the war in Ukraine, NDTV reports, News.bg reports.
Trump called on European partners to tighten their sanctions against Russia together with the United States:
„Europe buys oil from Russia. I don't want them to buy oil – and the sanctions they are imposing are not strict enough.“
The American president stressed that Washington is ready to impose stricter measures only if Europe acts „commensurately“ with the US:
„I am ready to impose sanctions, but they will have to tighten their sanctions so that they are commensurate with what I am doing.“
He added that NATO is talking but not taking concrete action:
„Right now they are talking but not doing anything. Look, they are buying oil from Russia. We are not buying, and they are buying a lot. That is not the deal.“
Promises of new sanctions and Kiev's disappointment
Trump has repeatedly threatened Russia with additional sanctions, including after the latest massive airstrikes on Ukraine, aimed at hitting the revenues that Moscow needs for the war. So far, however, his promises have not been fulfilled, which is causing disappointment in Kiev.
The Republican leader, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Alaska last month, described the purchases of Russian oil by NATO countries as “shocking“ and weakening the allies' negotiating position.
“Anyway, I'm ready to ‘go’ when you're ready. "Just tell me when," Trump said last week.
Proposal: Tariffs against China
The US president also raised the idea of NATO imposing tariffs on Chinese goods, arguing that this would weaken the strategic cooperation between Beijing and Moscow.
“I think that NATO sanctions against Russia, plus tariffs of 50% to 100% on China, to be lifted after the war is over, would help end this deadly but ridiculous war.“
Trump said that China has “strong control“ over Russia and that such tariffs would break that pressure.
“If the Alliance does what I say, the war will end quickly. If not - you're just wasting my time.“