US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he felt “really let down” by Russian President Vladimir Putin, but stressed that America would only intervene and step up the pressure on Moscow to stop the war, if the allies stopped buying oil from Russia.
“Very simply, if the price of oil comes down, Putin is going to drop out. He’s going to have no choice. He’s going to drop out of that war,” Trump said.
Trump noted that he might consider other ways to punish the Kremlin, but made clear that taking such measures depended on his allies ending their purchases of Russian oil. He said it made little sense for the US to take risks while its partners continued to fund Moscow through oil deals.
“I’m willing to do other things, but not when the people that I’m fighting for are buying oil from Russia,” Trump said.
Tough measures under debate
The European Union is already discussing how to speed up its phaseout of Russian liquefied natural gas imports.
In Washington, officials have floated a plan to impose secondary tariffs of up to 100% on goods from countries like China and India, along with other trade restrictions which are aimed to limit Russia’s energy revenues and also, blocking the transfer of sensitive technologies.
But major steps such as cutting off energy purchases face resistance from some European nations, which could block a united EU stance. The stalled talks have raised questions about how far Trump, who has long had a cordial relationship with Putin, is actually willing to go in pressuring Russia.
‘Too Reliant on Russia’: Starmer warns Europe on energy
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday said that some European countries had not done enough to reduce their dependence on Russian energy.
“I think it is a challenge to Europe. There are a number of European countries which are too reliant on energy from Russia,” he said.
Starmer further added that Putin has “shown his true face” in recent day as the invasion has involved more bloodhshed and “unprecedented violations of NATO airspace”. “These are not the actions of someone who wants peace,” he said.
Trump, speaking to the media later from Air Force One, noted that the UK was not among the nations that is still purchasing oil from Moscow. He said Starmer agreed that allies must stop buying Russian energy and reacted strongly when told that some NATO members were still doing so.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, most European countries have halted direct oil purchases from Moscow. However, smaller volumes continue to reach a few landlocked nations in Eastern Europe, including Hungary, a Bloomberg report said.