Europe Can’t Demand US Sanctions on Russian Oil While Still Buying It – Whitaker

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – European allies cannot urge the United States to be the first to sanction Russian oil buyers while continuing to purchase it themselves, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said on Wednesday.
"They [Europeans] can't insist that the United States moves first when they're unwilling to do it and again, continue to buy it themselves," Whitaker told Fox News.
Whitaker's comments came after Trump's open letter to all NATO countries last week, in which he expressed his willingness to impose "major" sanctions on Russia, provided that all NATO members take similar action and cease purchasing Russian oil.
On Monday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington would not hit China and India with tariffs over their purchases of Russian oil unless the EU did first. The official further urged European states to play a more active role in curbing Russia's oil revenues and ending the Ukraine conflict.
Russia has repeatedly said that it will cope with the sanctions pressure, suggesting that the West lacks the courage to admit the failure of its sanctions policy. Western officials have repeatedly complained about the sanctions being ineffective.
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