NATO chief issues warning to China, India over Russia links
What's the story
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has warned that countries like India, China, and Brazil could face severe secondary sanctions if they continue trade with Russia. His comments came during a meeting with US senators and after President Donald Trump unveiled new weapon supplies for Ukraine. On Monday, Trump, like Rutte, had threatened "biting" secondary tariffs of up to 100% on Russian export buyers unless a peace deal is reached within 50 days.
Sanction warning
Rutte's comments on 'peace talks'
In his warning, Rutte urged India, China, and Brazil to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into peace talks. "If you are the president of China, the prime minister of India, or the president of Brazil, and you continue to trade with Russia and buy their oil and gas, then you know: if the man in Moscow doesn't take the peace negotiations seriously, I will impose 100 percent secondary sanctions," Rutte said.
Comments
Please make the phone call to Vladimir Putin: Rutte
He further said, "My encouragement to these three countries, particularly, is: if you live now in Beijing, or in Delhi, or you are the president of Brazil, you might want to take a look into this." To avoid potential secondary sanctions, he urged leaders of the three nations to "please make the phone call to Vladimir Putin and tell him that he has to get serious about peace talks, because otherwise this will slam back...in a massive way."
Bipartisan bill
US senators back tougher sanctions
Republican Senator Thom Tillis hailed Trump's announcement of the moves but expressed concern over the 50-day delay, fearing Putin could use this time to strengthen his position. "So we should look at the current state of Ukraine today and say, no matter what you do over the next 50 days, any of your gains are off the table," he added.
Action
India, China among top Russian oil buyers
According to Reuters, China is the largest buyer of Russian oil, followed by India, which is also the main buyer of its flagship Urals oil. Turkey, the third-largest importer, increased its purchases to an annual record of 400,000 barrels per day in June, according to LSEG. Since 2023, Russia has also shifted its oil product sales from Europe to Asia and Latin America. Moscow is a major diesel supplier to Brazil, Turkey, and Africa's Ghana, Egypt, Morocco, Togo, and Tunisia.
Sanctions impact
India monitoring US Congress on sanctions debate
In response to Trump's secondary tariff threats, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, "Russia is ready to negotiate with...Trump, but the ultimatums are unacceptable and will not bring any results." Meanwhile, India is closely monitoring developments in the US Congress over the sanctions debate. Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Indian officials have been in touch with Senator Lindsey Graham on the issue, adding, "India will have to cross that bridge if it comes to it."