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Donald Trump said that he wanted to impose sanctions on Moscow but only after all Nato allies agree that they will completely stop buying Russian oil and instituting their own sanctions.
He also suggested that members of the transatlantic alliance hinder their purchases of Russian petroleum through tariff actions of anywhere from 50 to 100 per cent in the attempt to end the war.
The US president posted on his social media site called Truth Social on Saturday: “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. If NATO does as I say, the war will end quickly, and all of those lives will be saved! If not, you are just wasting my time, and the time, energy, and money of the United States,”
Trump added “I believe that [NATO sanctions on Russia], plus NATO, as a group, placing 50% to 100% tariffs on China, to be fully withdrawn after the war with Russia and Ukraine is ended, will also be of great help in ending this deadly, but ridiculous war”.
As per the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, Turkey, a member of Nato is the third largest importer of oil products after China and India. Other Nato members buying oil from Russia are Hungary and Slovakia.
While threatening additional sanctions on Russia several times, Trump, however, has not yet lived up to carry his threats out.
Trump introduced the idea of tariffs on China by Nato, considering China’s strong relations with Moscow that were brought to the forefront recently in Beijing with a high-profile summit between Xi Jinping and President Putin.
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