NATO Chief Warns China, India, Brazil of Sanctions Over Russian Oil Trade

Buyers of Russian oil—including China, India, and Brazil—could be hit by secondary sanctions “in a massive way,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Tuesday, urging leaders of the countries to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin. Rutte made remarks during a visit to Washington, after U.S. President Donald Trump said on July 14 that he would impose 100 percent tariffs on countries that import Russian oil unless the Kremlin agreed to a peace deal within 50 days to end its war with Ukraine. Speaking from Capitol Hill, the NATO chief said Trump’s announcement was “very smartly, wisely designed.” “If you live now in Beijing or in Delhi, or you are the president of Brazil, you might want to take a look into this, because this might hit you very hard. 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, adding that NATO will “find the money in Europe to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to be in the best possible position during these peace talks as soon as they start.”...