【Text by Observer Net, Xiong Chaoran】On September 4 local time, Reuters reported, citing a White House official, that President Trump told European leaders that day that Europe must stop buying Russian oil, as these transactions are helping Russia continue the Ukraine-Russia conflict by funding it. The report said that with the diplomatic process to end this conflict being slow, Trump's tone was aggressive.
Trump participated in a telephone conference call of the "Will Alliance" led by French President Macron. The so-called "Will Alliance" refers to countries that have stated they will provide military and other support to Ukraine after the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and these countries are also discussing the security guarantees to be provided to Ukraine after reaching a peace agreement.
"President Macron and European leaders invited President Trump to join their 'Will Alliance' meeting. President Trump emphasized that Europe must stop purchasing Russian oil that funds this conflict, as Russia earned 1.1 billion euros in fuel sales from the EU within a year," said the White House official.
The official also revealed that Trump mentioned China again during the call, further threatening to say: "European leaders must exert economic pressure on China, as China is funding Russia's military efforts."
Previously, the spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry had already emphasized that China's position on the Ukraine crisis has always been consistent and clear. We have always believed that dialogue and negotiations are the only viable way to resolve the Ukraine crisis. The cooperation between China and Russia does not target any third party and is not affected by factors from any third party.
Photo: August 18, 2024, White House, USA (from left) Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sauli Niinistö, President of Finland, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, Donald Trump, President of the United States, Emmanuel Macron, President of France, Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany, and Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO, taking a group photo. Visual China
According to the report, since the outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the EU has sought to cut its decades-long energy relationship with Russia. The European Commission has proposed legislation requiring the gradual cessation of imports of Russian oil and gas by January 1, 2028.
Most European countries have stopped importing Russian crude oil since 2022 and ceased importing Russian fuel in 2023. It is currently unclear whether Trump was referring to the crude oil still being imported by Hungary and Slovakia, or to the imported fuel refined in third countries such as India from Russian crude oil.
Reuters pointed out that when Trump just took office this January, he boasted that he could quickly end the Ukraine-Russia conflict. However, so far, Trump has been frustrated by his failure to end the conflict.
In July this year, when Trump threatened Russia, he mentioned the concept of "secondary sanctions", threatening to punish buyers of Russian oil and impose tariffs of up to 100% on imported goods from these countries.
However, so far, Trump has not imposed new sanctions on Russia and China, but instead has imposed high tariffs on imports from India. Since the outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, India has been the main consumer of Russian energy.
Previously, the spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Lin Jian, emphasized that China's position on the Ukraine crisis has always been consistent and clear. We have always believed that dialogue and negotiations are the only viable way to resolve the Ukraine crisis. China firmly opposes any illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction. "There is no winner in a tariff war, and coercion and pressure cannot solve the problem. We hope all parties can create an atmosphere and accumulate conditions to promote the political resolution of the Ukraine crisis, and do more things that help to ease tensions and promote talks," he said.
According to the report, during this "Will Alliance" telephone conference call, Trump continued to urge Europeans to take more defense responsibilities and was unwilling to commit to providing more U.S. support for the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The White House official said that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen also participated in this call.
"The 'Will Alliance' meeting discussed the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine. President Trump questioned the seriousness of these guarantees, while they are still continuing to fuel Russia's economy and warfare. The president clearly stated that this is not his war, and European countries must also step up and help," said the White House official.
It is known that this White House official did not reveal the details of the discussion on security guarantees. Trump previously expressed support for Ukraine, but did not make specific commitments. On September 4 local time, Macron stated that 26 countries have pledged to provide post-war international land, sea, and air force support to Ukraine.
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