Donald Trump says he’ll finally punish Russia, but only if everyone else does too

Donald Trump has stated he is prepared to implement significant sanctions against Russia, but only if European allies, particularly NATO nations, cease all energy purchases from Moscow. This is basically Trump trying to get backup from other nations.

According to Fox, Trump said, “They’re not doing the job. NATO has to get together. Europe has to get together. Europe… they’re my friends, but they’re buying oil from Russia, so we can’t be expected to be the only ones that are, you know, full bore.” He danced around the idea of sanctions but only if Europe is the first to “toughen up their sanctions commensurate with what I’m doing”.

Trump further elaborated, suggesting that a crucial condition for his sanctioning of Russia would be a complete halt to all energy imports by NATO allies. “The deal is, they’re not supposed – whether it’s natural gas or whether it’s cigarettes, I don’t care – they’re not supposed to be buying from Russia,” which is basically the U.S. hiding behind its NATO allies when against a real threat.

Trump will only go after Russia if his “friends” back him up

This position was also communicated in a letter sent to NATO, where Trump indicated his readiness for “major sanctions on Russia when all NATO Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO nations stop buying oil from Russia”. Despite European nations having reduced their reliance on Russian energy since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, several countries, including Hungary, Slovakia, France, Belgium, and Spain, continue to import significant amounts of Russian energy. Hungary, in particular, remains a top importer of Russian crude oil and natural gas.

France, while importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) that largely bypasses EU sanctions due to existing “take-or-pay” contracts, is reportedly reselling some of this to other nations, such as Germany. The EU’s Data Protection Authority confirmed that the bloc imported nearly $5.2 billion worth of Russian LNG in the first half of 2025. Trump’s comments also touched upon tariffs, urging NATO allies to impose “50% to 100% tariffs” on China, which would be lifted only after the conflict in Ukraine concludes. This rate is notably higher than the current U.S. tariffs on Beijing.

While Trump has not expanded on the specific “deal” he referred to regarding the cessation of Russian imports, and the U.S. itself has purchased billions of dollars worth of Russian imports largely consisting of enriched uranium, palladium, and fertilizers in the first five months of 2025, his message to European allies is clear: he needs them for a united front and a complete cutoff of Russian energy before he’s brave enough to add sanctions.