US President, Donald Trump has warned NATO allies that the United States will impose “major” sanctions on Russia only if all member nations agree to do the same and stop purchasing Russian oil.
In a letter shared on social media Saturday, Trump made clear that Washington’s next steps depend on full NATO cooperation.
“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 wrote. “NATO’S commitment to WIN has been far less than 100%, and the purchase of Russian Oil, by some, has been shocking! It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia. Anyway, I am ready to ‘go’ when you are. Just say when?”
Trump also called on NATO countries to impose steep tariffs on China as part of a broader pressure campaign.
“I believe that this, plus NATO, as a group, placing 50% to 100% TARIFFS ON CHINA, to be fully withdrawn after the WAR with Russia and Ukraine is ended, will also be of great help in ENDING this deadly, but RIDICULOUS, WAR,” he said.
The president argued that such measures would quickly bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The EU has already banned maritime imports of Russian oil and refined products such as diesel, but some member states and non-EU NATO allies — including Turkey, which remains a major Russian oil customer — continue to rely on Moscow’s energy supplies.
Meanwhile, Trump has escalated pressure on India, doubling tariffs on imports to 50% in retaliation for New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil. He admitted the move “caused a rift” with India, which has called the decision “unjustified.”
European officials, however, have been reluctant to follow Trump’s lead. They remain cautious about weaponizing tariffs, particularly against China, with whom the EU is negotiating a major trade deal.
As Trump’s demands circulate among allies, Russia has shown no signs of easing its military campaign. On Saturday, Romania’s defense ministry said it intercepted a drone that entered its airspace during Russian strikes on Ukraine. Two F-16s tracked the device until it dropped off radar near Chilia Veche, close to the Danube River.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the drone operated in NATO airspace “for around 50 minutes,” calling it “an obvious expansion of the war by Russia.”
The incident followed a separate Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace earlier this week, which prompted NATO to bolster its eastern defenses. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the developments “unacceptable and dangerous,” while Polish forces launched aviation operations as a precaution.
The escalating tensions underscore the stakes of Trump’s ultimatum, which risks deepening divisions within NATO at a critical moment in the conflict.
