NATO chief Mark Rutte warns India, China and Brazil over Russia-Ukraine peace deal
'My encouragement to these three countries particularly is if you live now in Beijing or in Delhi, or you're the president of Brazil, you might want to take a look into this, because this might hit you very hard,' Rutte told reporters Tuesday.
'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.
Rutte's remarks offered clarity about the potential outcome after President Donald Trump announced announced Monday that he was giving Putin 50 days to enter into peace talks with Ukraine or face what he called 'secondary tariffs' of 100% as well as secondary sanctions. Those penalties target countries that do business with sanctioned nations.
Trump didn't name Brazil, China or India but those are three countries that have continued to buy Russian oil and petroleum products in the years since Putin's forces invaded Ukraine in 2022. US senators are pressing for a bill that calls for 500% tariffs on countries doing business with Russia.
'We'll continue to push for Senator Graham & my Russia Sanctions bill with even tougher penalties to deter India, China, Brazil & others from fueling Putin's war machine,' Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, wrote on X on Monday about his and Senator Lindsey Graham's bill. 'Congressional action sends a powerful message of support.'
Any such moves would complicate US talks with India and China. India is closing in on an agreement that would see 20% so-called reciprocal levies on the South Asian nation before a final deal is reached in the fall. US ties with China, meanwhile, appear on the upswing after the world's two largest economies reached a trade truce in May.
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