Trump Proposes 50%–100% Tariffs On China, Urges NATO To Halt Russian Oil Purchase

In fresh remarks on Saturday, US President Donald Trump urged NATO nations to stop buying Russian oil and impose 50–100% tariffs on China as conditions for coordinated sanctions on Moscow. In a letter addressed to "all NATO nations and the world" on Truth Social, Trump said these steps were essential to ending the war in Ukraine.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has 32 member countries consisting of states from Europe and North America.

"I am ready to do 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," Trump wrote. "As you know, NATO's commitment to win has been far less than 100%, and the purchase of Russian oil, by some, has been shocking!"

Trump argued that NATO's dependence on Russian oil weakens its bargaining power, while China's influence over Moscow could be countered with punitive tariffs.

"NATO, as a group, placing 50% to 100% tariffs on China, to be fully withdrawn after the war with Russia and Ukraine is ended, will also be of great help in ending this deadly, but ridiculous, war. China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia, and these powerful tariffs will break that grip," he added.

The president also stressed that the conflict was not his war, blaming US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instead. He said his proposals could "save thousands of Russian and Ukrainian lives" and end the war quickly.

"This is not Trump's war (it would never have started if I was President!), it is Biden's and Zelenskyy's war. I am only here to help stop it, and save thousands of lives," Trump wrote, citing a figure of 7,118 deaths last week alone.

Trump concluded by warning NATO that if members do not follow his approach, they would be "wasting the time, energy, and money of the United States."