- By Supratik Das
- Mon, 15 Sep 2025 10:38 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
United States President Donald Trump has once again called on NATO and European nations to adopt tougher measures against Russia, saying Europe is weakening sanctions by continuing to buy oil and natural gas from Moscow.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said, "They're not doing the job. NATO has to get together. Europe has to get together. Europe is my friend, but Europe is buying oil from Russia. I don't want them to buy oil. And the sanctions that they're putting on are not tough enough. And I'm willing to do sanctions, but they're going to have to toughen up their sanctions commensurate with what I'm doing."
"Just to clarify, you wouldn't move ahead until NATO moves ahead. Well, I'm ready to move ahead, but they have to do it. But right now they're talking and they're not doing. Look, they're buying oil from Russia. We're not buying oil from Russia. They're buying a lot of oil from Russia. That's not the deal," he added.
The President stressed that Washington is ready to impose additional sanctions, but insisted that NATO members must act together to ensure maximum pressure on Moscow. “Right now, they’re talking and they’re not doing,” he remarked.
Calls For Joint NATO Action
Trump has repeatedly warned that sanctions will only be effective if all NATO allies move in unison. In a letter to NATO nations, he wrote, “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.”
He also criticised European nations for continuing to import liquefied natural gas from Russia. "It's not the deal, though. The deal is that they're not supposed to know whether it's natural gas or cigarettes; I don't care. They're not supposed to be buying from Russia," he added.
Trump Floats Tariffs On China
In a new proposal, Trump suggested that NATO collectively impose tariffs of 50 to 100 per cent on China, claiming such a step would indirectly weaken Russia’s war effort. According to him, Beijing’s growing partnership with Moscow has emboldened Russia.“China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia, and these powerful tariffs will break that grip,” Trump said. He argued that punitive trade measures, combined with strict sanctions, could shorten the war in Ukraine.
Taking a swipe at the White House, Trump claimed the conflict would not have started if he had been President. “"This is not TRUMP'S WAR (it would never have started if I were President!), it is Biden's and Zelenskyy's WAR. I am only here to help stop it, and save thousands of Russian and Ukrainian lives (7,118 lives lost last week, alone. CRAZY!),” he declared.
The remarks come just weeks after Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Alaska, where energy and sanctions were believed to be major talking points. Despite his tough rhetoric, Trump has so far not announced fresh sanctions, a move that has frustrated Kyiv. Ukrainian officials say tougher action is needed urgently after Moscow launched one of its heaviest aerial strikes last weekend.
With inputs from ANI.