【Text by Observers Network, Xiong Chaoran】On July 14 local time, U.S. President Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on Russia and implement so-called "secondary sanctions" on certain countries if a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia is not reached within 50 days. Now, NATO Secretary General Lauterbach, who has been fawning and calling Trump "Dad" continuously, has once again come out to support and make tough statements.

According to Reuters, on July 15 local time, Lauterbach, who was present in the White House Oval Office when Trump announced the latest sanctions against Russia the day before, said during a meeting with U.S. Senate lawmakers that countries such as China, India, and Brazil may face severe "secondary sanctions" if they continue to do business with Russia.

"My urging to these three countries is, if you are now living in Beijing, Delhi, or if you are the president of Brazil, you might want to pay close attention to this matter, because it could cause you a very serious blow," Lauterbach then continued to warn: "So please call Putin and tell him he must take the peace negotiations seriously, otherwise it will be a big blow to Brazil, India, and China."

On July 15 local time, NATO Secretary General Mark Lauterbach held a press conference on Capitol Hill in the United States. U.S. Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen (left) and Republican Senator Tom Tillis accompanied the event. Visual China

During the previous process of the "big and beautiful" tax and spending bill passing through Congress, Republican Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina had previously faced threats from Trump for voting against it, and later even strongly responded that he would not seek re-election next year. However, regarding Trump's decision on sanctions against Russia, he did "like" it, but also expressed concern about the 50-day deadline.

He claimed that he was worried that Putin might try to use these 50 days to win the war in Ukraine, or possibly use "massacres" and reclaim more territory as a basis for negotiation, preparing for a future peace agreement.

"Therefore, we should look at the current situation in Ukraine and clearly state that no matter what you (Putin) do in the next 50 days, any achievements you make will be in vain," Tillis stated.

Lauterbach said that Europe will find the funds to ensure Ukraine is in the best position during peace negotiations. He stated that according to the agreement with Trump, the U.S. will now "massively" supply weapons to Ukraine, "not only air defense weapons, but also missiles, and ammunition paid for by Europeans."

Previously, Trump had confirmed to Lauterbach that the U.S. would provide more new weapons to Ukraine through NATO allies, and these allies would purchase the weapons and transport them to Kyiv, with the coordination work being handled by the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Whittaker.

Lauterbach then said that this development was "significant" and praised Trump's decision. He also said that Trump allowing European NATO allies to fund weapons for Ukraine was "completely logical," and that this decision was based on a prior consensus among NATO member states that each of the 32 NATO countries' defense spending should reach 5% of their GDP.

When questioned during his meeting with U.S. Senate lawmakers about whether discussions were underway on providing long-range missiles to Ukraine, Lauterbach said: "It is both defensive and offensive, so there are various types of weapons, but we have not yet discussed it in detail with (Trump) president. Now the Pentagon, European Supreme Allied Commander, and Ukrainian side are working on it."

On July 14 local time, U.S. President Trump met with NATO Secretary General Lauterbach at the White House. During the meeting, Trump expressed "strong dissatisfaction" with Russian President Putin and threatened to impose "severe tariffs" on Russia — tariffs as high as 100% — if a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia is not reached within 50 days.

America's Cable News Network (CNN) reported that Trump announced two measures on the same day aimed at pressuring Russia to end the war in Ukraine, including the provision of new weapons to Ukraine.

"I am disappointed with President Putin because I thought we could have reached an agreement two months ago, but it seems we haven't. Therefore, based on this, we will implement 'secondary tariffs'. If we cannot reach an agreement within 50 days, it's simple, they will be subject to 100% tariffs, that's it, I hope we don't have to do this," Trump said at the White House that day.

When asked about the U.S. Senate's proposal to impose up to 500% "secondary sanctions" on Russia, Trump said that Republicans were "very actively pushing" this plan and modifying it to give himself more power to cancel or delay the sanctions, but he also hinted that these sanctions may not be necessary.

The UK's Independent reported that although Trump often uses the "tariff stick" as a means to strike opponents and allies, due to the punitive sanctions implemented by the previous Biden administration since the outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Russia currently has almost no trade relations with the United States.

However, Trump's recent threat mentioned the concept of "secondary sanctions," aiming to punish Russian oil buyers and impose tariffs of up to 100% on imports from these countries. The report stated that this move could double the cost of imports from China, India, and Germany, as these three countries are major trading partners of the U.S. and continue to buy Russian oil products.

The Independent noted that following this sanction against Russia, U.S. Commerce Secretary Rutenberg later clarified to journalists, explaining that Trump referred to "secondary sanctions" against countries buying Russian oil, rather than imposing tariffs on Russian goods.

"That's economic sanctions... you can also impose economic penalties, and once I find out you are doing this (violating), you will have to pay the price," he added, stating that Trump indeed has both sanctions and tariffs as "policy tools" when dealing with Russia.

CNN cited a clarification from a White House official, saying that Trump's mention of "secondary tariffs" refers to a 100% tariff on Russia and "secondary sanctions" on countries that buy Russian oil. The official stated that due to the limited trade between the U.S. and Russia, "secondary sanctions" could be the most severe measure.

"This is 'secondary sanctions,' which are sanctions imposed on countries that buy oil from Russia, so this is actually not a sanction on Russia," U.S. Ambassador to NATO Whittaker told CNN at the White House: "It is a tariff on countries like India and China that buy Russian oil, and this will certainly have a significant impact on the Russian economy."

On July 14 local time, U.S. President Trump held a meeting and delivered a speech in the White House Oval Office with NATO Secretary General Lauterbach. Visual China

In fact, as early as late March this year, due to the failure to reach a ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia, Trump had also expressed dissatisfaction with Putin and threatened to impose "secondary tariffs" on Russian oil buyers.

At that time, Reuters quoted an article by energy columnist Clyde Russell, which pointed out that Trump's threat to impose "secondary tariffs" on Russian oil buyers was quite "mad and bold," but given the unpredictable nature of this president, it was worth observing how China, Russia, and India would respond. Especially as China and India are the two main buyers of Russian oil at the moment, their responses and the Russian response are equally important.

The author of the article believes that China is unlikely to yield to U.S. pressure, but it is still necessary to note that Trump has already imposed high tariffs on China; while India is in a difficult position, as Modi's government has courted Trump, but after the Ukraine conflict, it has bought discounted Russian oil, making Russia the largest supplier of oil to India, and replacing Russian oil would mean seeking alternative supplies, which is very difficult.

On July 15, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian presided over a regular press conference. Today's Russia reporter asked, the U.S. Republican Senator Graham threatened countries including China, saying that if they continue to trade with Russia, these countries would face a 500% tariff. Does China worry about pressure from Washington?

Lin Jian emphasized that China's position on the Ukraine crisis has always been clear, and we have always believed that dialogue and negotiations are the only feasible way to resolve the Ukraine crisis. China firmly opposes any illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction. "There are no winners in a tariff war, and coercion and pressure cannot solve problems. We hope all parties can further create an atmosphere and accumulate conditions to promote the political resolution of the Ukraine crisis, and do more things that help to advocate peace and promote talks," he said.

This article is exclusive to Observers Network and may not be reprinted without permission.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7527473516834112035/

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