President Donald Trump renewed his name for European international locations to “cease shopping for oil” from Russia, a requirement he’s linked to additional US strain on President Vladimir Putin to halt the warfare in Ukraine.
“The Europeans are shopping for oil from Russia — not alleged to occur, proper?” Trump stated in a dinner speech at Mount Vernon, Virginia, close to Washington on Saturday.
Trump has chided Europe repeatedly for its Russian power purchases. On Thursday, after assembly with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the US president stated he’s keen to intensify financial strain on Moscow “however not when the people who I’m preventing for are shopping for oil from Russia.”
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Whereas direct purchases of Russian oil by most European nations ended after Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, small volumes proceed to move to Jap Europe. European nations additionally import diesel from India and Turkey, the place Russian oil is refined into the gasoline.
The EU has already handed a ban that may prohibit importing petroleum merchandise refined from Russia crude beginning subsequent yr, and the bloc is discussing banning imports of Russian liquefied pure fuel from 2027.
Nearly all EU member states have stopped shopping for Russian seaborne and pipeline oil. Landlocked Hungary and Slovakia, which import Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline, are the holdouts. The EU is contemplating commerce measures to focus on these remaining provides if Budapest and Bratislava don’t undertake exit plans, Bloomberg reported on Saturday.
In all, the purchases account for less than 3% of EU crude oil imports towards about 27% earlier than the warfare in Ukraine, European Fee figures present.
Trump on Saturday prompt that Matt Whitaker, US ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Group, improve strain on Europe.
“They should cease shopping for oil from Russia, Matt,” he stated, addressing Whitaker within the viewers. “Matt gained’t let it occur for much longer.”
With no sign of ending for the warfare in Ukraine, Trump reiterated his frustration with the Russian chief, saying he’s “very disillusioned in President Putin.”
Trump argued that the warfare would cease if oil costs are squeezed “a bit bit extra.”
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