US President Donald Trump has signaled he is prepared to launch a new wave of sanctions against Russia, but only if NATO countries meet strict conditions—including halting their remaining purchases of Russian oil.
His remarks come amid heightened tensions with Moscow following a drone incursion into Polish airspace and growing pressure on European states to cut ties with Russian energy.
Trump’s ultimatum to NATO
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump declared he was “ready to do major sanctions on Russia” once NATO members had “agreed, and started, to do the same thing.” He blasted continued Russian oil imports as “shocking” and warned they weakened the alliance’s “negotiating position” with Moscow.
Framing his comments as a letter to NATO leaders, Trump wrote: “I am ready to ‘go’ when you are. Just say when?” He went further, suggesting NATO should impose tariffs of 50–100% on Chinese goods to curb Beijing’s “strong control” over Russia—proposing that those tariffs be lifted only once the war ends.
Europe’s uneasy dependence on Russian energy
Trump’s criticism comes as Europe has sharply reduced its reliance on Russian oil and gas since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. The EU sourced about 45% of its gas from Russia before the war, a figure that has now dropped to roughly 13%.
Despite this decline, European nations have still spent an estimated €210 billion on Russian oil and gas since 2022, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. The EU has pledged to phase out all Russian fossil fuel imports by 2028, but Washington is pressing for a faster timetable, in part by encouraging European states to switch to U.S. energy supplies.
Trump’s demand is aimed at NATO, not the EU—pulling in countries like Turkey, a key buyer of Russian oil and one of Moscow’s closest partners within the alliance. Convincing Ankara to cut its energy ties with Russia may prove a formidable challenge.
Rising tensions with Russia
Trump’s message arrived as NATO allies faced another flare-up on the alliance’s eastern flank. On Wednesday, more than a dozen Russian drones entered Polish airspace. Warsaw denounced the incursion as deliberate, while Moscow dismissed it, insisting it had “no plans to target” facilities in Poland.
In response, Denmark, France, and Germany announced they would deploy additional military assets eastward as part of a new NATO mission to reinforce deterrence against Russia.
Ukraine echoes Trump’s demand
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has long pressed Europe to stop buying Russian oil and gas, arguing that “any deals with Russia” fund the Kremlin’s war machine. Speaking to ABC News last week, he insisted: “We can’t have any deals if we want to stop them.”
Trump’s call for coordinated sanctions echoes Zelensky’s plea but sets conditions that leave the timing uncertain. He has threatened harsher measures before—most recently after Russia’s heaviest bombardment of Ukraine in September—but has yet to follow through.
What comes next?
Whether Trump’s warning will materialize into actual sanctions depends on NATO’s willingness to fall into line, especially nations like Turkey that continue to import Russian crude.
For now, his message underscores both the geopolitical strains within the alliance and the shifting leverage in Washington’s strategy: linking Russian sanctions to a broader confrontation with China.
