United States President Donald Trump has said that Washington will not escalate sanctions against Russia if EU and NATO nations fail to match the US measures, including halting all purchases of Moscow's crude oil.
Trump said NATO and EU members must “get together” and “toughen up” before the US can be expected to go “full bore” on Russia, understanding the measures could backfire if the West keeps purchasing the Russian oil. “I don’t want the EU to buy Russian oil. I want them to restrict it immediately, and the sanctions on Putin are softer,” Trump said.
He said, “I am okay with sanctions, but the EU and NATO have to toughen their stance and sanctions to equate with what I am doing. Well, I’m ready to move ahead, but they have to do it.”
In the past few days, Trump has demanded that the EU and NATO countries stop buying Russian oil and urged them to impose harsher and tougher sanctions on Russia while slapping 100 pc tariffs on China and India, which, according to Trump, are funding Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Also Read: US warns Russia of punitive action over Ukraine talks failure
Last month, Trump imposed 50 pc tariffs on Indian imports coming to the US over New Delhi’s continuous approach to purchasing crude oil.
While the Indian economy is not showing any signs of slowing down. Yet Trump’s trade measures are likely to impact more than 1.5 million workers associated with fabric, jewellery, leather, and pharmaceuticals. Additionally, the trade measure could likely impact the Indian services sector, which remains a primary contributor to the Indian GDP.
The EU is currently preparing its 19th sanctions package, which may target Russian oil exports and the banking sector. Brussels has pledged to phase out Russian fossil fuels entirely by 2027, but several member states – including Hungary and Slovakia – continue to oppose immediate restrictions due to their dependence on the Druzhba pipeline.
Also Read: US has ‘lost’ India, Russia to ‘darkest China’: Donald Trump
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