Listen: Trump calls for Nato allies and the EU to stop buying Russian oil

This weekend, US President Donald Trump once again made waves in Brussels with a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. In what he described as a “letter to Nato nations,” Trump demanded that every member state stop buying Russian oil and gas.

His message was blunt, as long as countries like Hungary, Slovakia, and even non-EU Nato ally Turkey continue to purchase Russian energy, the United States won’t move forward with its own sanctions against Moscow.

Is this wishful thinking or the key to the EU's 19th sanction package against Russia?

Production: By Europod, in co-production with Sphera Network.

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You can find the transcript here if you prefer reading:

This weekend, US President Donald Trump once again made waves in Brussels with a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. In what he described as a “letter to Nato nations,” Trump demanded that every member state stop buying Russian oil and gas. His message was blunt: as long as countries like Hungary, Slovakia, and even non-EU Nato ally Turkey continue to purchase Russian energy, the United States won’t move forward with its own sanctions against Moscow. Is this wishful thinking or the key to the EU's 19th sanction package against Russia?

In the same post Trump went further, calling Nato’s commitment to Ukraine “less than 100 percent” and labelling the continued purchases of Russian oil “shocking.” He also floated the idea of slapping tariffs of up to 100 percent on China, arguing that Beijing’s support for Moscow could be broken by economic pressure.

His post landed just as EU officials were trying to finalise a 19th round of sanctions against Russia. And while most EU countries have cut back sharply on Russian energy since the invasion, from 45 percent of imports in 2022 to around 13 percent today, Hungary and Slovakia remain heavily dependent. Turkey, meanwhile, continues to buy large volumes through the TurkStream pipeline.

Trump’s intervention is awkwardly timed: it followed a major Russian drone attack on Poland that triggered Nato consultations under Article 4. And despite his insistence that the war “would never have started if he had been president,” his threats so far haven’t translated into real action. Deadlines have passed, sanctions have been promised but not delivered, and a much-touted summit with Putin in Alaska produced no results.

For Brussels, Trump’s words are a double-edged sword. On one hand, EU diplomats quietly welcome the pressure on Hungary and Slovakia. Viktor Orbán’s government has long blocked or watered down sanctions, and if Trump, a leader Orbán openly admires, is the one telling him to cut ties with Russian oil, it could shift the dynamic.

But there’s a problem: Europe has heard this before. Trump sets conditions, threatens action, then fails to follow through. Linking US sanctions on Russia to a complete halt of Russian oil imports by all Nato allies isn’t just unrealistic, it risks paralysing transatlantic coordination. Brussels knows it cannot compel Turkey to stop buying energy from Moscow. And the idea that tariffs on China could “end the war quickly” is, at best, wishful thinking.

Since 2022, European countries have spent more than €200bn on Russian energy, money that has, in effect, helped finance the invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv is urging its allies to stop all energy deals with Moscow, but the political will to go that far has been missing.

What’s next?

In the short term, Trump’s post may give the European Commission some leverage to push through its next sanctions package. If Orbán and Fico calculate that it’s better to align with Trump than to keep stalling Brussels, that could unlock progress.

But beyond that, the view in Brussels is less optimistic. By tying American sanctions to conditions that are nearly impossible to meet, Trump may actually be delaying tougher action from Washington. And if Nato allies spend months debating oil imports and tariffs on China instead of coordinating sanctions on Russia, the Kremlin gains precious time and revenue.

The bottom line? Europe is cautiously cheering Trump’s rhetorical shift against Moscow, but most officials know better than to bank on it. Until his words translate into action, they remain exactly that, words.