Trump urges NATO nations not to buy Russian oil

The President of the United States,

Donald Trump

On Saturday, the

United States

The government is ready to impose new laws

Energy

Sanctions on

Russia

But only if you all

Nations stop purchasing Russian oil and take similar measures. Trump wrote on social media that he was ready to impose major sanctions against Russia once all NATO countries agreed to the same and stopped buying Russian oil. The United States has increased pressure on NATO nations to tighten energy restrictions on Russia to help end the war in Ukraine.

Trump has faced criticism in the United States for setting deadlines of two weeks for Russia to deescalate, and then letting them pass without any concrete action. A August

/Ipsos poll

The study found that 54% Americans, including 1 in 5 of Trump's Republicans, believe the president has too close a relationship with Russia. In a call on Friday, the Group of Seven finance ministers discussed possible tariffs against countries that they believe "enable" Russia's war in Ukraine.

Energy revenues are the Kremlin’s most important cash source to fund the war effort. Oil and gas exports have become a major target of Western sanctions. Analysts and officials warn, however, that aggressive restrictions on Russian crude could also lead to a rise in global oil prices. This would strain Western economies as well as weaken public support.

According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, Turkey, a NATO member, has been the third largest buyer of Russian crude oil since 2023. Hungary and Slovakia are also members of the 32 state alliance that purchases Russian oil.

Trump, who spent the weekend at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey, suggested that NATO as a group should impose tariffs between 50% and 100% on Chinese imports. He argued this would weaken Beijing’s economic grip over Moscow.

Trump has added an additional 25% tariff to imports from India in order to pressure New Delhi into stopping its purchases of discounted Russian oil. This brings the total punitive duty on Indian goods up to 50%, and ruins trade negotiations between two democracies.

Trump has not imposed additional tariffs on Chinese goods because of China's purchases Russian oil. His administration is navigating a delicate truce in trade with Beijing. (Reporting from Jarrett Renshaw, in Bedminster New Jersey and Bipasha dey, in Bengaluru. Editing by Timothy Heritage and Scott Malone.

(source: Reuters)