US President Donald Trump stated on Saturday that he is ready to impose new sanctions on Russia, provided NATO countries stop buying Russian oil.
Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social that he would consider “significant sanctions against Russia” only if NATO nations collectively agree to cease purchasing Russian oil.
The former president has repeatedly mentioned potential sanctions targeting Russian banks and the oil sector but has not made any firm commitments. He also suggested that NATO Member States could implement substantial tariffs on China to pressure Beijing into reducing its support for Moscow.
Earlier in September, Trump reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with EU countries continuing to buy Russian oil during a phone call between him and European leaders, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU enacted a ban on most Russian oil imports. However, the Druzhba pipeline – meaning “friendship” in Russian – was temporarily exempted to allow central European nations time to transition to alternative energy sources.
In response, Russia has redirected significant volumes of its oil and gas exports to other countries, including India, China, and Turkey. Nevertheless, it still sells considerable quantities of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to EU nations, particularly France.
