US President Donald Trump has said he is ready to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, but only if NATO countries meet certain conditions which include stopping buying Russian oil.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he stated he was ready to do major sanctions on Russia once NATO nations had agreed, and started, to do the same thing.
Trump has repeatedly threatened tougher measures against Moscow but has so far failed to take any action when the Kremlin ignored his deadlines and threats of sanctions.
He described the purchases of Russian oil as shocking and suggested that NATO place 50 to 100% tariffs on China, claiming it would weaken its strong control over Russia.
In a letter to NATO nations, Trump said: I am ready to 'go' when you are. Just say when? He emphasized that the ongoing purchases of Russian oil significantly undermined the military alliance's bargaining power with Moscow.
Trump also asserted that stopping Russian energy purchases, combined with heavy tariffs on China, would greatly assist in ending the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, European reliance on Russian energy has decreased substantially. The EU, which relied on about 45% of its gas from Russia in 2022, is projected to rely on only 13% this year. However, Trump insists this decline is insufficient.
His statements come amid rising tensions following a recent incident where over a dozen Russian drones entered Polish airspace. Poland considers this breach intentional, while Russia minimizes the event's significance, claiming no intent to target facilities in Poland.
In response to the evolving geopolitical landscape, NATO countries, including Denmark, France, and Germany, are moving military assets eastward to bolster the alliance's presence in Eastern Europe.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also urged European nations to cease all energy dealings with Russia, emphasizing that any agreements would only enable further aggression.
Since the beginning of the conflict, European nations have reportedly spent around €210 billion on Russian oil and gas, funding the ongoing war efforts. Although the EU plans to phase out these purchases by 2028, the US is advocating for a faster transition.
Trump's call to action, directed at NATO collectively and not solely at the EU, highlights the challenges in persuading nations like Turkey, a significant buyer of Russian oil that has maintained closer relations with Moscow than others in the alliance.
His recent threats of new sanctions were fueled by Russia's intensified bombardment of Ukrainian targets and raised questions on whether he would move to the second phase of sanctions, as he has suggested.
