President Donald Trump on Saturday called on NATO countries to stop buying Russian oil and warned of imposing tariffs of 50% to 100% on China over its continued purchases of Russian petroleum.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump said NATO’s commitment to the Ukraine war has been “far less than 100%,” describing the purchase of Russian oil by some alliance members as “shocking.” Addressing NATO members, he wrote: “It greatly weakens your negotiating position and bargaining power over Russia.”
Since 2023, Turkey has been the third-largest buyer of Russian oil, after China and India, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Other NATO members, including Hungary and Slovakia, also continue to import Russian oil. It remains unclear whether Trump intends to confront Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán directly.
Trump’s comments came after multiple Russian drones entered Polish airspace on Wednesday, a NATO ally. Poland shot down the drones, but Trump downplayed the incursion, suggesting it “could have been a mistake.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, called the drone incident “unacceptable and dangerous,” though he said it was still unclear whether Russia deliberately targeted Poland.
Trump calls 50% India tariffs a big deal, says it caused a rift with India
While Trump has repeatedly pledged to end the war swiftly, critics say he has avoided pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin. His recent meeting with Putin in Alaska produced little progress toward peace. Meanwhile, Congress is pressing him to support a bill toughening sanctions against Moscow.
The U.S. and its allies are moving to show firmer resolve. At an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting on Friday, acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea reaffirmed that Washington “will defend every inch of NATO territory,” calling the drone incursion “a sign of immense disrespect” for U.S.-led peace efforts.
Britain on Friday also banned 70 vessels linked to Russian oil trade and sanctioned 30 individuals and companies, including Chinese and Turkish businesses accused of supplying Russia with weapons components.
Trump argued that a NATO-wide ban on Russian oil, combined with heavy tariffs on China, would be a decisive step. “China has a strong grip over Russia, and powerful tariffs will break that grip,” he wrote, adding that tariffs could be withdrawn once the war ends.
The U.S. president has already imposed a 25% import tax on Indian goods tied to Russian energy purchases, raising the overall tariff to 50%. Still, Trump has indicated a willingness to negotiate with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Tensions with China remain high. Earlier this year, Trump’s 145% tariffs on Chinese goods prompted Beijing to retaliate with 125% tariffs on U.S. exports, effectively freezing trade between the world’s two largest economies. Subsequent negotiations lowered U.S. tariffs to 30% and China’s to 10%.
In his latest post, Trump blamed the war on his predecessor Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while notably excluding Putin.
His remarks followed a call with Group of Seven finance ministers on Friday, during which U.S. officials urged their counterparts to cut off revenues funding Russia’s war effort.