Trump says ready for phase two of sanctions over countries buying Russian oil
Asked at the White House whether he was ready for a new round of sanctions on Russia or its oil buyers, Trump gave a terse reply: “Yeah, I am,” without offering further details.
PTC News Desk: US President Donald Trump on Sunday signalled imposition of 'second phase' of sanctions against Russia, a step that could also hit countries such as India that continue purchasing Russian oil.
Asked at the White House whether he was ready for a new round of sanctions on Russia or its oil buyers, Trump gave a terse reply: “Yeah, I am,” without offering further details.
His remarks highlight growing exasperation within the administration as the conflict continues, especially after his earlier attempts at brokering peace failed to bring about a ceasefire.
Signaling a tougher stance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told NBC that the US and the European Union may introduce “secondary tariffs” on countries purchasing Russian oil. He maintained that only a severe economic collapse in Russia would compel President Vladimir Putin to negotiate.
Just last month, Washington imposed a punitive 25 per cent tariff on Indian exports to the US, effectively doubling the duty to 50 per cent. Trump has consistently accused New Delhi of “financing Russia’s war efforts” and justified the move as essential.
New Delhi has repeatedly defended its imports of Russian crude as essential for national energy security, dismissing the US actions as unjust. While India remains one of the largest buyers of Russian energy, many Western nations have scaled back their purchases since the war began.
The push to penalise countries doing business with Russia comes even after a recent online interaction between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which suggested a possible easing of tensions in their bilateral relationship.