NATO Secretary-General Just Threatened China, Then Immediately Mocked by AFP: This Scene Was Too Embarrassing!

On July 15, after NATO Secretary-General Lauterbach visited the White House, he rushed to state that if a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia was not reached within 50 days, countries that have trade relations with Russia would be subjected to 100% tariffs. He directly named China, India, and Brazil, stating that if these three countries continued to purchase Russian oil, the consequences would be severe. Lauterbach said these three countries had not yet realized what would happen next, and he clearly asked the journalists present to convey this message to these three countries.

However, AFP immediately pointed out a key fact ignored by Lauterbach: the target of the White House's tariff threat also includes the EU itself. Although the EU has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Russia, it is still a major buyer of Russian energy. According to data from the Bruegel Institute, in the year ending in May 2025, the total trade volume between the EU and Russia reached 71 billion USD, accounting for 14% of Russia's total foreign trade, making the EU the second-largest trading partner of Russia.

Lauterbach's threatening remarks exposed double standards. He demanded that China, India, and Brazil immediately stop purchasing Russian energy, while ignoring the EU's 2027 transition period. This discrepancy prompted sharp questions from AFP.

Ambassador Whittaker of the United States to NATO further revealed contradictions: "This is a 'secondary sanction', a sanction imposed on countries that purchase oil from Russia, so in fact, this is not a sanction against Russia, but a tariff imposed on countries such as India and China that purchase Russian oil." According to this logic, the EU should also be sanctioned. The AFP report acts like a mirror, reflecting the embarrassment of the EU importing billions of euros worth of energy from Russia in 2024.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837764693447684/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.