Trump says he'll sanction Moscow if all NATO allies stop buying Russian oil
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sept. 13 he would hit Russia with “major” sanctions if all NATO members unite and stop buying Russian oil.
"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 wrote on the Truth Social media platform.
"As you know, NATO’s commitment to win has been far less than 100%, and the purchase of Russian oil, by some, has been shocking. It greatly weakens your negotiating position and bargaining power over Russia. Anyway, I am ready to 'go' when you are. Just say when?"
Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose sanctions on Russia and tariffs on countries buying Russian oil and gas. However, in most cases Trump has failed to deliver on his promises, and the only significant measure was a tariff imposed on India in August over purchases of Russian oil.
Trump also demanded on Sept. 13 that NATO members place 50-100% tariffs on China, a major importer of Russian oil and gas, to help usher in peace.
"I believe that this, plus NATO, as a group, placing 50% to 100% tariffs on China — to be fully withdrawn after the war with Russia and Ukraine is ended — will also be of great help in ending this deadly, but ridiculous, war," he said. "China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia, and these powerful tariffs will break that grip."
Notably, Trump did not name Russian President Vladimir Putin in his statement. However, he called Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine “(former U.S. President Joe) Biden’s and (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky’s war.”
While Europe has largely weaned itself off Russian oil, Hungary and Slovakia remain hooked on Russian imports, with the EU overall accounting for 6% of Russian crude oil imports last month, according to the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
Turkey, another NATO member, also guzzled 6% of Russia’s crude exports in August, putting the country behind India and China, the top two consumers. The country spent 596 million euros ($700 million) on Russian crude and 1 billion euros ($1.7 billion) on oil products last month, although it began to import Brazilian oil in March to cut back on Russian crude.
Despite condemnation from Brussels, Hungary and Slovakia have resisted diversifying away from Russian oil. Russian crude enters Central Europe through Belarus and Ukraine via the Druzhba pipeline, which Kyiv attacked several times in August to temporarily suspend oil flows, sparking backlash from Budapest and Bratislava.
Europe is also the biggest consumer of Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas, purchasing 50% of Russian LNG exports and 35% of pipeline gas exports in August, according to CREA.
The U.S. has called out Europe for its continued reliance on Russian fuels and Trump previously told European leaders to stop imports during a phone call with the “Coalition of the Willing” countries on Sept. 4.
Following America’s pressure, European Commission chief Ursual von der Leyen said Brussels is considering accelerating its phase-out of Russian fossil fuels sooner than 2027, as initially planned, as part of a new round of sanctions against Moscow on Sept. 10.
Trump has not imposed any new sanctions on Russia since taking office, but has instead extended Biden-era punishments.
After threatening sanctions on Russia following a mass attack that killed 27 in Kyiv on July 31, Trump did a U-turn after meeting Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15. He dropped talks of sanctions until now.
Trump appears to be growing frustrated with Putin over his heel-dragging of the peace process. The U.S. president proposed a meeting between Putin and Zelensky following the Alaska summit but the Russian leader has since rejected the idea.
Last month, the U.S. raised tariffs on Indian imports to 50% in response to India's continued purchases of Russian oil — straining relations between the two countries.
While the U.S. has not directly targeted China over its Russian oil purchases, Trump hiked tariffs on Chinese imports in April, only to reduce them weeks later after a severe market reaction.
On Sept. 9 , Trump called on the European Union to impose tariffs of up to 100% on China and India as part of a coordinated effort to increase pressure on Russia.
