Trump ‘ready’ to sanction Russia if Nato nations stop buying its oil
President Donald Trump has declared he is prepared to impose sweeping new sanctions on Russia, but only if NATO allies agree to take similar steps — including halting purchases of Russian oil.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he was “ready to do major sanctions on Russia” once NATO countries “agreed, and started, to do the same thing.” He criticized ongoing purchases of Russian energy by some member states as “shocking,” warning that such transactions undermined the West’s negotiating position against Moscow.
Trump also urged NATO to adopt tariffs of 50 to 100 percent on Chinese goods, arguing that such measures would weaken Beijing’s “strong control” over Russia. He suggested the tariffs would be withdrawn once the war in Ukraine ended, calling the combination of sanctions and energy restrictions “a great help” in bringing the conflict to a close.
Europe has already reduced its dependence on Russian energy significantly since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. At the start of the war, the European Union relied on Russia for about 45 percent of its natural gas supply, a figure expected to fall to around 13 percent this year. Still, Trump’s comments indicated he views this decline as insufficient.
The message comes amid rising tensions between NATO and Russia, following reports that more than a dozen Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace on Wednesday. Warsaw described the incident as deliberate, while Moscow dismissed it, insisting it had “no plans to target” Polish facilities. In response, NATO allies including Denmark, France, and Germany announced plans to deploy additional military assets to the alliance’s eastern flank.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also called for a total embargo on Russian energy, telling ABC News last week: “We have to stop [buying] any kind of energy from Russia… We can’t have any deals if we want to stop them.” According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, European countries have spent roughly €210 billion ($225 billion) on Russian oil and gas since 2022, much of which has fueled Moscow’s war effort.
The EU has pledged to phase out Russian energy imports entirely by 2028. Washington, however, has pressed for a faster timetable, partly by offering U.S. supplies as an alternative. Trump’s message was addressed to NATO, not the EU, highlighting the challenge of persuading countries such as Turkey — a NATO member and one of Russia’s major oil buyers — to sever ties with Moscow.
Trump has issued multiple threats of stronger sanctions against the Kremlin but has yet to follow through. Earlier this month, following Russia’s most intense bombardment of Ukraine since the war began, Trump told reporters he was prepared to enter a “second phase” of punishing Moscow but declined to provide details.
The United States has previously imposed significant penalties on other countries tied to Russian trade. Among them were 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods, including a 25 percent surcharge on transactions linked to Russia. Trump now appears to be seeking similar multilateral action from NATO to intensify economic pressure on Moscow.