100% secondary sanctions for Russia trade: Nato warns India, China, Brazil

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte has warned Brazil, China, and India, saying they could face heavy sanctions if they keep doing business with Russia. He spoke on Wednesday during a meeting with US senators, just a day after President Donald Trump announced new weapons for Ukraine and threatened harsh tariffs on countries buying goods from Russia.

Rutte told reporters, "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."

"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, because this might hit you very hard," the Nato secretary said. He urged leaders of these countries to call Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to push him to seriously join peace talks.

"So 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 on Brazil, on India and on China in a massive way," he added.

Rutte's warning comes amid rising pressure from the US and Nato to isolate Russia economically due to Moscow's ongoing campaign against Ukraine.

US THREATENS 100% TARIFFS ON RUSSIA, PARTNERS

US President Trump recently announced plans to send new and advanced weapons to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles that experts believe are key for Ukraine's defence against air attacks. Along with this, Trump threatened to impose "biting" 100% tariffs on Russian exports.

According to a White House official, Trump intends to place 100% tariffs on Russia and also apply secondary sanctions on countries buying Russian oil if a peace agreement is not reached within 50 days.

When asked about what happens after 50 days, he replied, "At the end of 50 days, if we don't have a deal, it's going to be too bad... the tariffs are going to go on and other sanctions go on."

Earlier he had said, "We can do secondary. We’re probably talking about 100 per cent or something like that. We can do secondary tariffs without the Senate, without the House, but what they’re crafting also could be very good."

According to news agency Reuters, 85 out of 100 US senators are supporting a bill that would allow Trump to impose even higher tariffs -- up to 500% -- on any country that helps Russia.

INDIA AMONG TOP BUYERS

Reports indicate that, right now, China, India, and Turkey are among the largest buyers of Russian crude oil. If President Trump imposes sanctions, these countries -- especially India -- could face serious consequences. The move could disrupt energy supplies and raise costs at a time when global prices are already unstable.

In response to Trump's threats, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, "Russia is ready to negotiate after US President Donald Trump, but the ultimatums are unacceptable and will not bring any results."

- Ends

Tune In