Trump urges Nato countries to stop buying Russian oil to end Ukraine war
Nato member Turkey has been the third largest buyer of Russian oil, after China and India,
Donald Trump has said he believes the Russia-Ukraine war would end if all Nato countries stopped buying oil from Russia, and also placed tariffs on China of 50% to 100% for its purchases of Russian petroleum.
The US president posted on his social media site that Nato’s commitment to winning the war “has been far less than 100%” and the purchase of Russian oil by some members is “shocking”.
“It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia,” he added.
Nato member Turkey has been the third largest buyer of Russian oil after China and India, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
Other members of the 32-state alliance involved in purchasing Russian oil include Hungary and Slovakia.
Mr Trump’s post comes at a tense moment in the conflict after the recent flight of multiple Russian drones into Poland, an escalatory move by Moscow as it was entering the air space of a Nato member.
Poland shot down the drones, yet Mr Trump played down the severity of the incursion and Russia’s motives by saying it “could have been a mistake”.
While Mr Trump as a candidate promised to end the war quickly, he has yet to hit the pressure points needed to end the violence and has at times been seen as reluctant to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Congress is currently trying to get the US president to back a bill toughening sanctions, after Mr Trump last month hosted Mr Putin in Alaska for talks that failed to deliver on progress towards peace.
The US and its allies are seeking to show a firmer degree of resolve against Russia.
At an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Friday, acting US ambassador Dorothy Shea said America “will defend every inch of Nato territory” and that the drones entering Poland “intentionally or otherwise show immense disrespect for good-faith US efforts to bring an end to this conflict”.
Britain on Friday also took steps to penalise the trading of Russian oil, including a ban on 70 vessels allegedly used in its transportation.
The UK also sanctioned 30 individuals and companies, included businesses based in China and Turkey, that have supplied Russia with electronics, chemicals, explosives and other weapons components.
In his post, Mr Trump said a Nato ban on Russian oil plus tariffs on China would “also be of great help in ENDING this deadly, but RIDICULOUS, WAR”.
The president said Nato members should also put 50% to 100% tariffs on China and withdraw them if the war that was launched with Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine ends.
“China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia,” he posted, and powerful tariffs “will break that grip”.
The US president has already imposed a 25% import tax on goods from India, specifically for its buying of Russian energy products. He has placed in total a 50% tariff on India, though Mr Trump has indicated that negotiations with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could help settle differences.
Mr Trump said responsibility for the war fell on his predecessor Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He did not include in that list Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched the invasion.
