- U.S. Warns of Secondary Tariffs Without EU Alignment.
- NATO Buyers Turkey, Hungary, and Slovakia Under Pressure.
- Trump Says He Could Persuade Orbán to Stop Buying Russian Oil.
In his speech at the UN General Assembly on September 23, President Donald Trump called on European countries to stop importing energy from Russia and to support U.S. sanctions. He made it clear that the U.S. is ready to implement strong secondary tariffs to help put an end to the conflict, reports S&P Global.
Talk of Tariffs and Sanctions
“But for those tariffs to be effective, European nations, all of you gathered here right now, would have to join us in adopting the exact same measures,” he said.
“They have to immediately cease all energy purchases from Russia,” he added.
“We’re going to discuss it today with the European nations all gathered here.”
Trump first brought up this idea on September 13, indicating that he would be willing to impose major sanctions if NATO allies continued to buy Russian oil. He also suggested imposing tariffs ranging from 50% to 100% on China for its purchases of Russian energy. The EU has plans to phase out Russian oil and gas by January 1, 2028, but a proposal from September 19 aims to speed up the LNG phase-out to January 1, 2027, along with new measures targeting Russian energy.
NATO Buyers in Focus
Three NATO countries, Turkey, Hungary, and Slovakia, are still significant buyers of Russian crude. In 2024, Turkey imported an average of 330,000 barrels per day of seaborne crude, while Russia exported around 230,000 barrels per day through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary, Slovakia, and, until recently, Czechia. Later, during a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump expressed confidence that he could convince Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to change his stance.
“He’s a friend of mine. I have not spoken to him, but I have a feeling if I did, he might stop, and I think I’ll be doing that,” Trump said. Trump also remarked that NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace. When asked about U.S. support, he responded: “In some way. It depends on the circumstances, but we’re very strong on NATO.”
EU Response: ‘We’re On It’
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed Trump’s stance, saying Europe is already reducing Russian energy imports. “President Trump is absolutely right,” she said. “We’re on it.”
While Europe has already “massively” cut Russian gas and oil, she noted that the EU is targeting remaining imports. “So what we do now, we put sanctions out to those ports where, for example, LNG is coming from Russia, and we want to put tariffs on oil supplies that are still coming to the European Union,” von der Leyen said.
Progress on Energy Diversification
During an event hosted by the Atlantic Council, Ditte Juul Jorgensen, the EC Director General for Energy, shared some encouraging news about Europe’s energy landscape. She pointed out that Russian oil and coal are “essentially out” of the picture, with only two countries still making up about 3% of consumption. The reliance on Russian gas has dramatically decreased from 45% to just 15%, and there are plans for even more phaseouts as new sanctions come into play.
Asked about Trump’s pressure on India, Jorgensen emphasised cooperation: “Obviously, the conversation will have to reflect the geopolitical realities and challenges, and see how do we best approach them together. But we are very much, as a European Union, we are very much open for business, open for investments and open for partnerships.” She was optimistic about balancing energy security with environmental goals. Europe can implement its methane regulations “in a way that doesn’t constitute an irritant in any way,” she said.
Regulatory Concerns in Transatlantic Trade
On September 12, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright raised a red flag, cautioning that Europe’s methane regulations and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) might pose challenges for transatlantic trade.
Jorgensen responded that simplification of the CSDDD is already underway: “We have an interest in that simplification ourselves as well. Our industry, our investors, have an interest in that simplification. At the same time, we’re, of course, making sure that we have the stable and predictable regulatory framework so that there’s clarity for investments in Europe.”
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Source: S&P Global
