President Donald Trump has once again criticized NATO allies for their continued reliance on Russian energy, labeling them as ‘funding the war against themselves.’ During his address at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump accused NATO countries of perpetuating the conflict by importing Russian oil and energy products, despite his earlier calls for them to stop such purchases.
Trump pointed out that China and India are the main supporters of the war through their ongoing purchases of Russian oil. He noted that even some NATO nations have not fully cut off their energy imports from Russia, which Trump claimed he discovered two weeks prior. European nations have reduced their dependence on Moscow’s oil following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but they have not yet eliminated all imports.
Hungary, Slovakia, France, Belgium, and Spain remain the top European importers of Russian energy, with France continuing to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) under existing contracts that require them to do so or face penalties. Trump adjusted his comments on Russian energy imports to include all types of Russian energy, a shift that came a day after France diverged from the United States over the Palestinian statehood issue.
Trump warned that if Russia is not ready to end the war, the United States is prepared to impose strong tariffs to halt the conflict. However, he emphasized that these measures would only be effective if European nations adopted the same steps. He also urged Europe to ‘step it up’ and immediately stop all energy purchases from Russia, otherwise, he warned, they would be wasting time.
Trump said he would speak with European leaders about the issue during his UN visit this week, highlighting the growing tension between the United States and its NATO allies over energy policy and the broader conflict in Ukraine.