【By Observer News, Yuan Jiaqi】

With the upcoming "Putin-Trump meeting" this Friday, the Trump administration in the United States is intensifying its efforts to pressure European allies to "unify their stance" in order to further pressure Russia. According to a report by U.S. media Bloomberg on the 13th, U.S. Treasury Secretary Biden has made a direct statement, threatening European countries to be prepared to support higher tariffs on countries purchasing Russian energy.

Biden mentioned that during the G7 summit held in Canada in June, European member states' leaders discussed a bill proposed by Republican Senator Lindsay Graham of the United States regarding secondary tariffs on buyers of Russian energy.

According to CCTV News, Graham, who is enthusiastic about promoting war, drafted the "Sanctions Russia Act of 2025" in April, which stipulates that the United States will impose tariffs of no less than 500% on products imported from countries that trade energy with Russia. However, after Trump announced a 50-day deadline for Moscow to reach a settlement on the Ukraine issue, the U.S. Senate subsequently froze the bill.

At that time, seeing his allies discussing the bill, Biden felt self-satisfied and thought he could find "like-minded people", so he actively asked about the willingness of each country, only to face a cold shoulder.

He said, he looked at the G7 leaders and asked, "Are all of you willing to impose 200% secondary tariffs on China?"

"Then you can imagine what happened? Everyone just looked down at their shoes (avoided answering)..." Unable to achieve his evil intentions, Biden complained first.

This move by Biden, attempting to coerce allies and point the single-sided sanctions at China, is essentially another manifestation of politicizing trade issues and pressuring other countries through hegemonic means. Regarding this, China's position has always been clear and firm, firmly opposing any form of unilateral sanctions and political maneuvering.

Regarding the so-called "secondary sanctions" by the U.S., Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian previously emphasized that China's position on the Ukraine crisis has always been clear. China has 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 create an atmosphere and accumulate conditions to promote the political resolution of the Ukraine crisis, and do more things that help promote peace and talks."

Bloomberg video screenshot

Having calculated in vain, Biden had nowhere to vent his anger, so he became even more unkind towards his European allies.

According to a video from Bloomberg Television, Biden bluntly scolded on the show, saying that Trump was about to meet with Russian President Putin, "while Europeans were hiding behind and lecturing us on what to do and how to do it."

He then addressed Europe, saying, "It's time to act or shut up."

Biden, who took a self-evident attitude, even exerted strong pressure, stating that regardless of anything, European countries must support the U.S. proposal for more stringent measures, "European countries must join our sanction actions, they must do it, they must agree to implement these secondary sanctions."

He also said that Trump is good at creating leverage, "We need Europeans to get involved and help create more leverage."

Under the continuous questioning of the host, Biden gave a vague conclusion that "sanctions against Russia may be escalated or relaxed." He said that this would depend on the result of the U.S.-Russia summit on Friday, but Trump "will clearly tell Putin that all options are under consideration."

Biden continued to talk about the fact that the U.S. has already imposed additional tariffs on India for purchasing Russian energy, "I think if the situation does not go smoothly, the strength of sanctions or secondary tariffs may be further increased."

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to hold a meeting on August 15th local time at the Elmendorf-Richardson Joint Base in the northern suburbs of Anchorage, Alaska. On Tuesday (the 12th), the White House revealed more details about the "Putin-Trump meeting."

White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt introduced that Trump plans to have a one-on-one meeting with Putin during the U.S.-Russia summit held in Alaska on August 15th. The focus of this meeting will be on how to end the Ukraine war, while topics such as normalizing U.S.-Russia relations proposed by Russia are expected to be discussed later.

According to a report by Reuters, worried that the "Putin-Trump meeting" might make far-reaching decisions, even forcing Ukraine to accept an unfavorable agreement, on the afternoon of the 13th, European and Ukrainian leaders held an online meeting to pressure Trump, hoping he would understand the danger of "selling out Kyiv's interests" and prevent him from "selling out Ukraine's interests."

It is reported that the video conference was hosted by German Chancellor Merkel. Trump, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, NATO Secretary General Rütes, and leaders of Finland, France, Britain, Italy, Poland, and the EU participated in the meeting.

The report stated that European leaders are trying to avoid angering Trump, repeatedly emphasizing their welcome of Trump's peace efforts. They also stressed that no agreements regarding Ukraine should be made without Ukraine's participation.

Merkel said in a press conference after the meeting that Europe is doing everything possible to help Trump prepare the agenda for the U.S.-Russia leaders' meeting, but "Europe's and Ukraine's security interests must be protected in Alaska."

Merkel emphasized that Ukraine must participate in the peace negotiations, and a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia should be reached first before discussing long-term peace agreements. Europe cannot legally recognize Russia's ownership of Ukrainian territory.

Zelenskyy said that after this video conference, he was optimistic about the prospects. But he would not call the "Putin-Trump meeting" a "historic moment," and he would wait for the results of the meeting.

He also revealed that Trump had promised to call him after the meeting with Putin.

On August 13th local time, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Merkel participated in a video conference together. Visual China

French President Macron also said after the meeting that the issue of Ukraine's territory "can only be discussed with Ukraine."

He also reiterated that the contact between Russia and the United States is a good thing, but when it comes to issues on the European continent, the voice of Europe "needs to be heard."

The American website "Politico" analyzed that currently, European countries are the largest source of military and financial support for Ukraine and hold billions of euros of frozen Russian assets, which are crucial for any long-term peace solution. Therefore, it is difficult for Trump to ignore the opinions of European countries.

However, Russian Foreign Ministry official Alexei Fadeyev said on the 13th: "We believe that the consultations sought by Europe are politically and operationally meaningless. The EU's wording about supporting the search for a peaceful resolution is just another attempt to delay the process."

From the perspective of some U.S. media, whether the "Putin-Trump meeting" can prompt Putin to stop the war in Ukraine and allow Trump to achieve his long-awaited diplomatic victory is also "hopeless."

The Wall Street Journal cited the views of multiple analysts, pointing out that how to deal with Putin, the sincerity of Russian ceasefire, and whether to abandon the peace process if the meeting ends fruitlessly are all challenges facing Trump.

This article is exclusive to Observer News, and it is not allowed to be reprinted without permission.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7538309522201281051/

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