At NATO private dinner, European leaders tried to persuade Trump to strengthen sanctions against Russia - Pavel
Last week, at a private NATO dinner, European leaders pressured US President Donald Trump to toughen up his policy towards Russia, but the US president hesitated.
According to Censor.NET, citing Euractiv, Czech President Petr Pavel said this in an interview with CNN Prima NEWS.
"We spoke to him very consistently and collectively, persuading him that the time has come to significantly increase economic pressure on Russia," Pavel said.
It is noted that the dinner was attended by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
"Not with the aim of causing Russia’s economic collapse – that’s not in our interest – but to make it realise that there’s simply no alternative to negotiation," he added.
At the same time, according to the Czech president, Trump "remained reserved for now, but he is aware that this is a very effective tool."
When Trump pointed to his previous success with China during the dinner, arguing that high tariffs had forced Beijing to change its position, Pavel used this argument to reinforce his point in the context of putting pressure on Russia.
"I said: ‘You see, this is exactly the kind of decisive approach we now need toward Russia. If China felt it within a month, then Russia, with its economy, might feel it within a week or two’," he noted.
