US is willing for "very strong" sanctions against Russia, but Europe is not supposed to be buying oil and gas from Russia, - Trump
US President Donald Trump has said that Europe is "talking and they're not doing" by continuing to buy energy from Russia. He stressed that the West's sanctions policy will be effective only if European countries refuse to buy Russian energy and synchronise their restrictive measures with those of the United States.
According to Censor.NET, citing Ukrainska Pravda, Trump said this during a conversation with journalists before boarding the presidential Air Force One aircraft.
"Look, Europe is they're my friends. But they're buying oil from Russia. So we can't be expected to be the only ones that are, you know, full boore," Trump said.
He called the sanctions imposed by Europe "not tough enough" and set a condition for further US action.
"I'm willing to do sanctions, but they're going to have to toughen up their sanctions commensurate with what I'm doing," the president said.
Clarifying his position, Trump confirmed that he expects synchronised or pre-emptive action from European partners.
"Well, I'm ready to move ahead, but they have to do. I think they will. But right now, they're talking and they're not doing," Trump said.
Trump categorically stated that the agreement with the Europeans was to completely stop buying Russian goods.
"The deal is they're not whether it's natural gas or whether it's cigarettes, I don't care. They are not supposed to be buying from Russia," the president said.
The President commented on journalists' reminders of his promise to impose "serious sanctions" against Russia by assuring them that when they are imposed, they will be "very, very strong".
As a reminder, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson believes that the time for new sanctions against Russia has long since come. However, according to the lawmaker, the US Congress will not adopt them without the approval of President Donald Trump.
