President Donald Trump said Saturday that the war in Ukraine could be ended if NATO countries stopped buying Russian oil and imposed punitive tariffs on China for its purchases of Russian petroleum. Citing his social media post, AP reports that Trump accused the alliance of showing less than full commitment to defeating Russia, calling continued oil purchases by members “shocking.” He argued such trade “greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia.” Turkey has been NATO’s third-largest buyer of Russian oil since 2023, behind China and India, according to the C

President Donald Trump said Saturday that the war in Ukraine could be ended if NATO countries stopped buying Russian oil and imposed punitive tariffs on China for its purchases of Russian petroleum. Citing his social media post, AP reports that Trump accused the alliance of showing less than full commitment to defeating Russia, calling continued oil purchases by members “shocking.” He argued such trade “greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia.” Turkey has been NATO’s third-largest buyer of Russian oil since 2023, behind China and India, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Hungary and Slovakia, also NATO members, have continued imports as well. Trump’s post came days after Russian drones crossed into NATO member Poland’s airspace before being shot down. While Warsaw condemned the incident, Trump downplayed the breach, suggesting it “could have been a mistake.” The president has vowed to quickly end the conflict but has faced criticism for a perceived reluctance to pressure Vladimir Putin. Congress is currently pressing Trump to support stronger sanctions after his recent meeting with the Russian leader in Alaska failed to produce progress. In his post, Trump said tariffs of 50% to 100% on Chinese goods should be imposed until the war ends, claiming Beijing’s energy ties give it “a strong control, and even grip, over Russia.” The U.S. has already placed a 25% import tax on Indian goods linked to Russian oil purchases. Trump also blamed the conflict on his predecessor, Joe Biden, and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy — but not on Putin, who launched the invasion in 2022. His comments followed a call with G7 finance ministers, where U.S. officials urged a “unified front” to choke off revenues sustaining Moscow’s war machine.  

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