Trump urges Europe to halt Russian oil purchases to curb Ukraine war funding
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a press conference at a NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands June 25, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
US President Donald Trump urged European countries to stop buying Russian oil, warning that EU fuel purchases have provided Moscow with over €1.1 billion in one year to fund its war against Ukraine.
This is reported by Reuters.
It was noted that US President Donald Trump joined the “Coalition of the Willing” meeting by phone, which was chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron. The discussion focused on security guarantees for Ukraine and international support in countering Russian aggression.
Trump urged European leaders to stop buying Russian oil, emphasizing that such purchases finance the war in Ukraine. He highlighted that in just one year, Russia received approximately €1.1 billion from the EU in petroleum sales. Additionally, Trump called on European countries to exert economic pressure on China, which he said is assisting Moscow in sustaining its military operations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Trump’s words at a press conference and added that the American leader expressed particular dissatisfaction with purchases of Russian oil in Europe, in particular in Hungary and Slovakia.
According to Zelenskyy, some countries even complained about Ukraine’s efforts to reduce imports of Russian oil, which could otherwise finance the war.
“President Trump is very unhappy that Europe continues buying Russian oil. In particular, two countries—Hungary and Slovakia—expressed concerns. Everyone understands the situation, but I want to remind everyone: when Russia attacked our energy system and we responded in kind, targeting their energy infrastructure, Russia still profits from this and spends the money on weapons. Yet these two countries complained to President Trump that Ukraine’s actions limit access to Russian oil,” the Ukrainian president said.
A White House official noted that Trump questioned the seriousness of European measures to guarantee Ukraine’s security, pointing out that, at the same time, Europe continues to finance the Russian economy through oil purchases. Trump’s remarks were made during discussions that also involved European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Zelenskyy.
The European Commission has already announced plans to phase out Russian oil and gas imports by January 1, 2028, aiming to sever long-standing energy ties with Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that he continues to work to achieve peace between Ukraine and Russia, despite growing uncertainty over personal talks between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin.
By the way, on September 3, the EU officially lowered the price limit for Russian oil: the new “ceiling” is $47.6 per barrel instead of the previous $60. The decision was made in the context of the 18th package of sanctions against Russia and is aimed at limiting the aggressor country’s income while maintaining the stability of the global energy market.
It is worth adding that the Russian federal budget in August received about 35% less oil and gas revenues compared to August last year.
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