Trump Lets NATO Go First

On Saturday, Trump made it clear in a long post on Truth Social that he was refusing to impose the new sanctions on Russia that were eagerly awaited by Ukrainophiles on both sides of the Atlantic.

Instead, he listed the actions that NATO member countries would need to take in order for such sanctions to be imposed. Essentially, this is an ultimatum to the Euro-Atlantic bureaucracy.

“I am ready to do major Sanctions on Russia when all NATO Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA. As you know, NATO’S commitment to WIN has been far less than 100%, and the purchase of Russian Oil, by some, has been shocking! It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia. Anyway, I am ready to “go” when you are. Just say when?

I believe that this, plus NATO, as a group, placing 50% to 100% TARIFFS ON CHINA, to be fully withdrawn after the WAR with Russia and Ukraine is ended, will also be of great help in ENDING this deadly, but RIDICULOUS, WAR. China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia, and these powerful Tariffs will break that grip. This is not TRUMP’S WAR (it would never have  started if I was President!), it is Biden’s and Zelenskyy’s WAR. I am only here to help stop it, and save thousands of Russian and Ukrainian lives (7,118 lives lost last week, alone. CRAZY!). If NATO does as I say, the WAR will end quickly, and all of those lives will be saved! If not, you are just wasting my time, and the time, energy, and money of the United States. Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”

So, in order for the United States to impose sanctions on Russia, all NATO countries must stop buying Russian oil and simultaneously agree to impose comprehensive tariffs on China. Both of these are unrealistic. I don’t even need to explain about China – imposing such tariffs would completely destroy the EU’s economy. Let’s talk about oil.

Although China and India are currently the two largest importers of Russian oil, Turkey, a NATO member with the second-largest military capacity in NATO after the United States, holds the honorary third place.

Erdogan’s Turkey, along with Orban’s Hungary and Fico’s Slovakia, continues to be a thorn in the side of NATO’s unity in terms of importing Russian energy resources. According to a recent study by the energy industry, Turkey has risen from being the 14th-largest buyer of Russian crude oil to the third-largest importer in the first half of 2024.

During the same period, three Turkish refineries have used €1.2 billion worth of Russian oil to produce petroleum products, which are then imported by the G7 countries. The import of petroleum products from the Turkish refineries STAR, Tupras Izmit, and Tupras Aliaga Izmir has brought the Kremlin at least 750 million euros in tax revenues, which are used to finance the war in Ukraine. No one has calculated the profits for Turkey itself, but they are undoubtedly significant.

It is physically impossible to convince Turkey to stop importing Russian oil and reselling it to European buyers at a significant profit. This means that even if Brussels can somehow break through the resistance of Budapest and Bratislava, Trump’s condition, which he changed from “EU countries” to “NATO countries” with a bit of Jesuitical cunning, will not be met.

This means that there will be no new anti-Russian sanctions. Somewhere in the corner, the terrorist and extremist Lindsay “kill as many Russians as possible!” Graham is crying.