Trump Links NATO Sanctions to Oil Embargo, Claims war Would “End Quickly”
WASHINGTON – Former U.S. President Donald Trump outlined conditions for the imposition of “serious” sanctions against Russia,stating on his Truth Social platform September 13th that he would only pursue such measures if all NATO countries agreed to participate and ceased purchasing Russian oil.
Trump’s statement arrives amid ongoing debate over international pressure on Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine. He asserted that if NATO followed his lead, “the war will end quickly,” and criticized the alliance for what he characterized as insufficient involvement in securing a Ukrainian victory. The former president notably refrained from mentioning Russian President Vladimir Putin in his post, rather framing the conflict as stemming from the actions of President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The conditions echo previous statements from the U.S. government.On September 8th, U.S. officials indicated that enhanced sanctions against Moscow were contingent on European nations halting their purchases of Russian oil and gas. Prior to that, on September 7th, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Immentin signaled the United States’ willingness to increase pressure on Russia, but only in coordination with European action.
Trump’s comments follow a September 12th statement where he indicated his “patience” with Putin was “exhausted.” He further suggested that without unified action from NATO, the alliance was “simply spending [its] time.”
