100 % secondary sanctions: Nato's blunt warning to India, China over continuing trade with Russia
PTC News Desk: Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte has issued a blatant warning to India, Brazil and China over continuing business with Russia, cautioning that they could face severe economic penalties.
"If you are the President of China, the Prime Minister of India, or the President of Brazil, and you continue to trade with Russia and buy their oil and gas, then you know: if the man in Moscow doesn't take the peace negotiations seriously, I will impose 100 per cent secondary sanctions," Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
"My encouragement to these three countries, particularly, is: if you live now in Beijing, or in Delhi, or you are the president of Brazil, you might want to take a look into this, because this might hit you very hard," he added.
Nato chief also called on the leaders of the three nations to engage with Russian President directly to compel him to come to terms with peace talks.
"So 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," he said.
The Nato chief's remarks came a day after US President Donald Trump issued a 50-day deadline to Putin to agree to ceasefire with Ukraine and end the long-standing conflict. The US President also announced new miliary support to Ukraine and threatened sweeping tariffs on Russia and its trading partners. The White House said Trump's plan included sending advanced weapons, such as Patriot missile systems, which Kyivv considers vital to counter Russian air attacks.
- With inputs from agencies
