Echoing United States President Donald Trump's stance on imposing economic sanctions against countries maintaining trade ties with Russia if Moscow doesn't put an end to the conflict in Ukraine, North Atlantic Treaty Organisaiton (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte on Tuesday (local time) urged India, China, and Brazil to reconsider their economic relations with Russia, warning of potential secondary sanctions, reported Reuters.
In a press conference, Rutte, speaking alongside US Senators Thom Tillis and Jeanne Shaheen, co-chairs of the Senate NATO Observer Group, emphasised the urgency of the situation, noting Trump's announcement on increasing military support for Ukraine, including air defence systems, missiles, and ammunition.
"What happened yesterday was important. First of all, the US will now supply Ukraine with weapons, not just air defence but also missiles and ammunition, paid for by the Europeans. And secondly, President Trump said basically if Russia is not serious about peace talks within 50 days, he will impose secondary sanctions on countries like India, China and Brazil," Rutte stated.
"My encouragement to these three countries, particularly, is that if you live now in Beijing or in Delhi, or you are the president of Brazil, you might want to take a look at this because this might hit you very hard," he added.
He further urged these countries to 'make the phone call' to Russian President Putin to make him 'get serious' about the peace talks, reflecting the potential economic repercussions.
"Please make the phone call to Vladimir Putin and tell him that he has to get serious about peace talks because otherwise this will slam back on Brazil, on India and on China in a massive way. So I think it was a very smartly, wisely designed announcement yesterday by President Trump," the NATO Chief stated.
Earlier on Monday (local time), Trump threatened to impose 100 per cent 'secondary tariffs' on Russia if a deal on Ukraine is not reached within 50 days, during his meeting with Rutte in the White House.
Trump also expressed disappointment with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin and threatened to impose severe tariffs if there is no deal within 50 days. -- ANI
IMAGE: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on July 14, 2025. Photograph: Nathan Howard/Reuters
© 2025 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances
