President Donald Trump said on Saturday that NATO member countries must impose heavy tariffs on China as a group, as much as 50-100% to break its economic grip over Russia, adding that it shall be withdrawn only after the war between Russia and Ukraine is ended.
In a letter posted on his Truth Social account, Trump said that US is prepared to hit Russia with major sanctions but only if all NATO nations collectively discontinue oil purchases from Moscow and impose their own sanctions.
“NATO, as a group, placing 50% to 100% tariffs on China, to be fully withdrawn after the war with Russia and Ukraine is ended, will also be of great help in ending this deadly, but ridiculous war. China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia, and these powerful Tariffs will break that grip,” he wrote in the letter.
China’s dominance in trade with Russia
In August 2025, China continued to be the largest global buyer of Russian fossil fuels, contributing 40% of Russia’s export revenues from its top five importers, amounting to 5.7 billion euro. India stood second in the list, followed by Turkiye which is a NATO member, according to data compiled from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
As per the data, China has bought 47% of Russia’s crude exports worth 3.1 billion euro, making it the top export destination for Moscow’s crude oil.
China, among other countries are increasingly buying Russian oil after European Union boycotted most Russian seaborne oil from January 2023, leading to a massive shift in crude flows from Europe to Asia.
Trump’s punishment for buying Russian crude
While Trump continues to claim that the Russia-Ukraine war would never have begun if he was the President back then, he has struggled to deliver on his promises of reaching a resolution and has instead repeatedly threatened to ramp up pressure on Moscow, said AP in a news report.
Last month, the US slapped a 50% tariff on India as a penalty for its continued purchase of Russian crude oil, though he has not yet taken any such action against China.
“This is not Trump’s war (it would never have started if I was President), it is Biden’s and Zelenskyy’s war. I am only here to help stop it, and save thousands of Russian and Ukrainian lives (7,118 lives lost last week, alone). If NATO does as I say, the war will end quickly, and all of those lives will be saved! If not, you are just wasting my time, and the time, energy, and money of the United States,” he said in the social media post.
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