US President Donald Trump has said he is ready to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, but only if NATO countries meet certain conditions which include stopping buying Russian oil.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he stated he was 'ready to do major sanctions on Russia' once NATO nations had 'agreed, and started, to do the same thing'.
Trump has repeatedly threatened tougher measures against Moscow but has so far failed to act when the Kremlin ignored his deadlines and threats of sanctions.
He described the purchases of Russian oil as 'shocking' and also suggested that NATO impose 50 to 100% tariffs on China, claiming it would weaken its 'strong control' over Russia.
In what he called a letter to NATO nations, Trump commented: 'I am ready to 'go' when you are. Just say when?'
He added: 'The purchase of Russian oil, by some, has been shocking! It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia.'
Trump also claimed that halting Russian energy purchases, combined with heavy tariffs on China, 'to be fully withdrawn' after the war, would be of 'great help' in ending the conflict.
Europe's reliance on Russian energy has fallen dramatically since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In 2022, the EU obtained about 45% of its gas from Russia, which is expected to plummet to about 13% this year, though Trump's statements suggest he believes this figure is still too high.
Trump's comments were made amid heightened tensions between NATO allies and Russia, especially following multiple Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace on Wednesday.
Warsaw categorized the incursion as deliberate, while Moscow played it down, stating it had 'no plans to target' facilities in Poland. Denmark, France, and Germany have joined a new NATO mission to bolster the alliance's eastern flank, moving military assets eastward.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also called out European nations over their purchase of Russian oil and gas, emphasizing the need to halt any dealings with the nation.
In an ABC News interview, he said: 'We have to stop [buying] any kind of energy from Russia, and by the way, anything, any deals with Russia. We can't have any deals if we want to stop them.'
Since 2022, European nations have spent around €210bn (£182bn) on Russian oil and gas. A significant portion of this funding is anticipated to have contributed to the invasion of Ukraine.
The EU has committed to phasing out such purchases by 2028, while the US desires a quicker transition, in part by supplying alternative resources.
Trump's message primarily targeted NATO, including countries like Turkey which has maintained closer ties with Moscow than other NATO members, making it potentially more challenging to persuade Ankara to stop Russian supplies.
Trump's latest threat of enforcing tougher sanctions came earlier in September following intense bombardments by the Kremlin on Ukraine.
When asked if he was ready to advance to the 'second phase' of punishing Moscow, Trump responded, 'Yeah, I am,' without providing additional details.
The US has previously implemented tariffs of 50% on goods from India, including a 25% penalty on transactions with Russia, which are crucial funding sources for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
