By ANI
Copyright deccanchronicle
Washington DC: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a stern warning to Europe to immediately halt purchases of Russian oil, saying the funds are helping Moscow continue its conflict in Ukraine. Speaking to reporters ahead of his state visit to the United Kingdom, Trump also said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should “make a deal” to end the war. He criticised European nations for buying Russian energy while voicing support for Ukraine. “Zelenskyy will have to make a deal, and Europe has to stop buying oil from Russia. They talk, but they have to stop buying oil from Russia,” Trump said. When asked if he was pressuring NATO allies to stop the imports, Trump replied, “I do. But here is the problem; they are purchasing Russian oil. I don’t want them purchasing Russian oil, and they have to stop immediately.” Trump described the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a “war that should have never happened,” citing deep animosity between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. “There is tremendous hatred between Zelenskyy and Putin. But we’re going to get it,” he said. On Monday, Trump had urged NATO and European nations to toughen their stance against Russia, criticising sanctions as too weak. “Europe is my friend, but Europe is buying oil from Russia. I don’t want them to buy oil. And the sanctions they’re putting on are not tough enough,” he said. He also attacked Europe for continuing to import Russian liquefied natural gas. “Whether it’s natural gas or whether it’s cigarettes, I don’t care. They’re not supposed to be buying from Russia,” he added. On the possibility of hosting a summit to mediate, Trump said, “Whether you call it a summit or just a get together, doesn’t matter, but I’ll probably have to, because they hate each other so much they almost can’t talk.” Recently, Trump wrote a letter to NATO nations, saying he was ready to impose major sanctions on Russia once all NATO members stopped buying oil from Moscow. He also proposed that NATO impose tariffs of 50 to 100 per cent on China, to be withdrawn after the Russia-Ukraine war ends. “This, plus tariffs on China, will also be of great help in ending this deadly, but ridiculous, war,” Trump wrote.
