Trump demands 'impossible' EU sanctions on Russia to avoid imposing own, diplomats say – media
Some European diplomats have claimed that US President Donald Trump put forward his demands for anti-Russian sanctions knowing that the EU would not comply with them, which would allow him to avoid increasing economic pressure on Russia, The Wall Street Journal has said.
"Heeding Trump’s call for stringent sanctions on China and India and ending purchases of Russian oil outright is a tough ask for Europe. Von der Leyen said she would push for the EU to speed up its plan to end Russian oil and gas imports by 2027, but any move to stop energy imports would come up against Hungary and Slovakia, who are highly reliant on Russian imports. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s close ties to Trump could make him more amenable to Washington’s pressure. Much larger economies such as Germany, France and Italy are also buying Russian energy," the report said.
European diplomats said they had postponed a proposed package of sanctions against Russia this week to figure out how to strengthen it. After speaking with the president on Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the new sanctions proposal would hit Russia’s banking sector with additional restrictions and punish its cryptocurrency markets and energy sector.
Separately, Trump urged Europe to use frozen Russian assets that have been in Belgium since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, according to people familiar with the president’s conversations with bloc leaders. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Europeans are considering ways to use the assets to prop up Kyiv after being reluctant to use them for fear of damaging the bloc’s reputation as a destination for global capital.
The European Union has ruled out using tariffs against India and China. It prefers to target firms and people who violate its restrictions rather than using tariffs to pressure other countries, as Trump has done.
A number of Chinese firms are expected to be hit by the new sanctions. The EU imposed sanctions on a major Indian oil refinery this summer, although new sanctions on Indian firms are unlikely as Brussels seeks to strike a free trade deal with India.
European leaders have long urged Trump to impose tougher sanctions on Russia and its proxies, while continuing to buy Russian energy and allowing some Russian banks to continue to access the Swift system, a global financial transaction network based in Belgium. Europe has also refrained from secondary sanctions on countries that finance Moscow’s military efforts.
The bloc has imposed a range of financial, energy and economic sanctions and has significantly reduced imports of Russian gas. Trump has so far failed to follow through on his long-standing threats to impose punitive measures against Russia, although he has occasionally stepped up his rhetoric after particularly deadly Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians. However, he has imposed 50% tariffs on Indian imports as punishment for the country’s massive purchases of Russian oil.
