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Trump Again Criticizes Europe Over Purchases of Russian Oil

U.S. President Donald Trump voiced criticism of European countries for buying Russian oil and also mentioned sanctions against Russia in this context. He said this to journalists at the airport before departing for the White House, Fox News reported. On Sunday, September 14, the U.S. president once again criticized European countries for purchasing Russian oil. “Europe is my friends, but they are buying oil from Russia. So you can’t expect us to be the only ones acting at full strength,” he said. Trump stated that the sanctions imposed by the EU against Russia “are not tough enough.” “I am ready to impose sanctions, but they need to toughen their sanctions to match the ones I impose. I am ready to move forward. But they must do it. I think they will. But right now they only talk, not act, and they are buying oil from Russia,” he said. As is known, Hungary and Slovakia continue to receive Russian oil, in particular through the Druzhba pipeline, which has recently been targeted by several Ukrainian attacks. The foreign ministers of Slovakia and Hungary complained to the European Commission regarding these strikes. On September 13, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was ready to impose serious sanctions on Russia if all NATO countries did the same and stopped buying Russian oil. Earlier, he once again stated that his patience with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin was “running out.” The U.S. president also expressed doubt about the possibility of direct talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin because of their “deep hatred.” He said this to journalists at the airport before flying back to the White House, Fox News reported. Trump boasted that he had managed to stop “seven wars,” but admitted that ending Russia’s war against Ukraine turned out to be “much harder than expected.” “I thought this would be easy for me. But it turned out to be difficult,” he said. According to him, the main obstacle is the hatred between the leaders of the two countries. “The hatred between Zelenskyy and Putin is unfathomable,” Trump said. Answering a question about whether he believed such negotiations were possible, Trump admitted that he thinks he “will have to speak himself.” And when asked whether the next step could be a trilateral summit, Trump said the format does not matter. “There will be negotiations — whether you call it a summit or just a meeting, it doesn’t matter. But I will probably have to take part. They hate each other so much that they can hardly speak. They are simply unable to talk to one another,” Trump added. It should be noted that a meeting of the leaders has been the main topic of discussion between the U.S., Europe, and Ukraine after the summit in Alaska, but the Kremlin has been doing everything possible to avoid it. According to media reports, Trump is allegedly considering suspending his efforts to end the Russia–Ukraine war until the sides become “more flexible.” Recently, Zelenskyy stated that the Russian ruler is evading a bilateral meeting with him, instead inviting him to Moscow. Read also: U.S. lawmakers push to tie Russia sanctions to government funding bill The post Trump Again Criticizes Europe Over Purchases of Russian Oil appeared first on Freedom.