NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has cautioned India, China and Brazil that continued economic engagement with Russia, especially in oil and gas, could draw full-scale secondary sanctions, unless President Vladimir Putin begins to take peace negotiations with Ukraine 'seriously'.
Rutte’s sharp warning came after a meeting with US senators in Washington on Wednesday, where he urged the leaders of the three influential economies to dial Moscow directly and persuade Putin to pursue a serious diplomatic resolution to the war.
“If you are the President of China, the Prime Minister of India, or the President of Brazil, and you continue to trade with Russia and buy their oil and gas, then you know: if the man in Moscow doesn't take the peace negotiations seriously, I will impose 100 per cent secondary sanctions,” said Rutte, speaking to reporters.
He added, “My encouragement to these three countries, particularly, is: if you live now in Beijing, or in Delhi, or you are the president of Brazil, you might want to take a look into this, because this might hit you very hard.”
The NATO chief’s remarks followed US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a fresh tranche of military aid to Ukraine, which includes the deployment of advanced weaponry such as Patriot missile systems. Trump also indicated that the United States would not hesitate to impose steep tariffs as high as 100 per cent on Russia and its trading partners if a peace deal is not reached within 50 days.
“If we don't have a deal at the end of 50 days, it's going to be too bad. The tariffs are going to go on and other sanctions go on,” Trump declared.
He underlined that the imposition of secondary tariffs would not require congressional approval. “We can do secondary. We’re probably talking about 100 per cent or something like that. We can do secondary tariffs without the Senate, without the House, but what they’re crafting also could be very good,” the US President had said.
Also read: India's Russian oil import hits 11-month high in June
An overwhelming majority in the US Senate, 85 of the 100 senators, are in favour of legislation that would grant the President sweeping tariff powers, enabling duties of up to 500 per cent against any country aiding Russia.
India, alongside China and Turkey, is among the top buyers of Russian crude, having ramped up its imports since 2022, defying Western attempts to isolate the Kremlin economically. Should the threatened sanctions be imposed, India stands to bear significant costs, particularly in energy procurement, at a time when global oil markets remain volatile and price-sensitive.
Rutte’s blunt call to action comes as NATO and the United States ratchet up diplomatic and economic pressure on Russia, with expectations that key neutral powers will assist in bringing the war to a negotiated conclusion.
“So please make the phone call to Vladimir Putin and tell him that he has to get serious about peace talks, because otherwise this will slam back on Brazil, on India, and on China in a massive way,” Rutte said.
Reacting to Trump’s ultimatum, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow remains open to dialogue but condemned the US stance. “Russia is ready to negotiate with US President Donald Trump, but the ultimatums are unacceptable and will not bring any results,” Ryabkov was quoted as saying.
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