President Donald Trump on Saturday vowed to impose sweeping sanctions on Russia once all NATO allies join in halting purchases of Moscow’s oil. He also urged member states to adopt steep tariffs on China, escalating his push to use economic pressure to end the war in Ukraine.
“I am ready to do major Sanctions on Russia once all NATO countries have started to do the same thing and pause their purchases of oil from Moscow,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. He also called for “50% to 100% TARIFFS ON CHINA,” to be lifted only after the conflict concludes.
The president argued that Beijing holds significant sway over Moscow, saying, “China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia, and these powerful Tariffs will break that grip.” He said the post reflected the text of a letter sent to all NATO nations and “the world.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent praised the move, calling unified sanctions essential to squeezing Russia’s economy. “Only with a unified effort that cuts off the revenues funding Putin’s war machine at the source will we be able to apply sufficient economic pressure to end the senseless killing,” Bessent wrote on X.
Trump has previously threatened punitive measures against Moscow but has yet to follow through. Earlier this month, he signaled that a “second phase” of sanctions was under consideration but stopped short of immediate action.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Western allies not to delay. “I urge all partners to stop looking for excuses not to impose sanctions—Europe, the U.S., the G7, the G20,” he wrote Saturday on X. Zelenskyy stressed that cutting Russian oil consumption would weaken Moscow’s ability to sustain its war.
Analysts note that Trump’s strategy reflects concerns that a weakened Russia could fall deeper into China’s orbit. “If Russia is defeated … then it has no choice but to go even further all-in with China, and that potentially then would strengthen China’s position,” Chris Weafer, chief executive of Moscow-based Macro-Advisory, told CNBC earlier this month.
Trump criticized NATO members for what he described as halfhearted efforts. “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!” he wrote, arguing that continued reliance on Russian fossil fuels “greatly weakens” the alliance’s bargaining power.
Hungary and Slovakia have drawn fire from Washington for continuing to import Russian energy. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright echoed Trump’s stance, saying Friday: “We want to displace all Russian gas. President Trump, America, and all the nations of the EU, we want to end the Russian-Ukraine war.”
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