President Donald Trump appeared to retract a promise to sanction Russia for its refusal to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine on Saturday, instead announcing stringent new conditions for his own allies before he would take action.
Trump has repeatedly pledged to punish Russia with new sanctions if it declines to reach an agreement with Ukraine, but has failed to follow through as Moscow has ignored his demands.
Now, Trump states he will only sanction Russia once all NATO countries cease purchasing oil from Russia and levy substantial tariffs on China—measures that are unlikely to be met soon.
“I am prepared to enact significant Sanctions on Russia when all NATO Nations have agreed, and commenced, to do likewise, and when all NATO Nations CEASE PURCHASING OIL FROM RUSSIA,” Trump posted on Saturday morning in what he identified as a letter addressed to the international alliance and the global community. “As you are aware, NATO’s resolve to TRIUMPH has been considerably less than absolute, and the acquisition of Russian Oil, by certain members, has been astonishing.”
Turkey, a NATO member, ranks as Russia’s third-largest oil importer—following China and India—according to the data. In his statement, Trump urged NATO to adopt his aggressive tariff policy and impose tariffs ranging from 50% to 100% on China for its acquisition of Russian oil, which he claimed would be rescinded upon the conclusion of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“China exercises substantial control, and even a firm hold, over Russia, and these potent Tariffs will dismantle that hold,” the letter asserted, adding that tariffs on China would “provide considerable assistance in TERMINATING this lethal, yet ABSURD, CONFLICT.”
Consistent with his previous statements, Trump attributed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to former President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“This is not TRUMP’S WAR (it would never have commenced had I been President!), it is Biden’s and Zelenskyy’s WAR. My sole purpose here is to assist in halting it,” he penned.
This letter follows Russia’s largest aerial assault of the war last week since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022—an attack comprising over 800 strike drones and causing numerous casualties.
Shortly after the attack, reporters outside the White House questioned Trump about his readiness to impose a second round of sanctions against Russia, to which he responded: “Yes, I am.”
Moscow responded following Trump’s threats of sanctions, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov informing reporters on Monday that Western sanctions had “no impact” and that “sanctions constitute the agenda favored by the Kyiv regime and European countries.”
Trump has continually threatened sanctions against Russia during his initial nine months in office to compel President Vladimir Putin back to negotiations. Trump’s meeting with his Russian counterpart last month yielded no formal agreement or any noticeable advancement toward one.
Since that time, Trump states he has been attempting to broker a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, which would be the inaugural encounter since the war commenced.
The European Union is presently formulating and preparing to introduce new sanctions against Russia in the forthcoming days, and has declared its intentions to gradually eliminate Russian oil imports by 2028. Nevertheless, member states Hungary and Slovakia continue to import Russian oil.
The appeal to NATO occurs merely days after 19 Russian drones intruded into Polish airspace, an acute escalation by Russia that NATO nations had characterized as a perilous infringement.
“What’s happening with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” he commented, although he subsequently informed reporters that the intrusion might have been an “error.”
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent participated in a meeting on Friday alongside the world’s leading finance ministers, who are seeking to intensify economic pressure on Russia. During the meeting, Bessent reiterated Trump’s appeal for allies to impose tariffs on nations acquiring Russian oil.