US President Donald Trump has threatened new sanctions against Russian oil if a peace in Ukraine is not achieved due to Moscow’s fault, according to an interview with NBC News. Trump warned, “If we can’t get an agreement with Russia to end the bloodshed in Ukraine and if I believe Russia is at fault. I will impose secondary sanctions on all oil that comes from Russia.”
This would mean that those who buy oil from Russia would not be able to do business in the US, explained the White House chief. He said that within a month, “25 percent tariffs on oil and other products sold in the United States, secondary sanctions” would be imposed if no ceasefire agreement is reached.
Trump also announced that he would speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the course of the week.
The US government chief said he is “angry” and “very angry” over Putin’s proposal to discuss the introduction of a transitional government in Ukraine. According to the Russian president, an option would be to set up a transitional government under the auspices of the United Nations, which would allow for elections in Ukraine and bring to power a “capable and trustworthy” government that Moscow could negotiate with.
Trump said Putin knows he is “angry” but noted that he has a “very good relationship” with him and that his anger would “soon dissipate” if his Russian counterpart “does the right thing.”
In March 2022, Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden banned all oil and gas imports from Russia to the US. The G7 and EU countries later imposed a price cap on Russian oil. Russia refused to deliver oil to the countries that imposed the price cap on it. The US also imposed sanctions on Russian oil companies and tankers, which it considers part of the “Russian shadow fleet.”
Trump did not rule out the possibility of lifting or strengthening the sanctions against Russia “at some point” until a ceasefire and a final peace agreement are reached. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the conditions Moscow sets for the cessation of attacks in the Black Sea include not only the lifting of US but also European restrictions. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, emphasized that the sanctions would remain in place as long as “a just peace in Ukraine is established.” The Kremlin justified the refusal of the EU to ease the sanctions, saying that they “do not align with the efforts” of Russia and the US to achieve a peaceful development in Ukraine.