According to reports from Washington, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday warned that if countries like Brazil, China and India continue to trade with Russia, they could be subjected to secondary sanctions from the US, which will have a very heavy impact.
Rutte’s warning comes at a time when President Donald Trump has announced a new weapons plan for Ukraine. Trump also said that if there is no peace agreement with Russia in the next 50 days, a strict secondary duty of 100 percent will be imposed on countries buying Russian exports.
The NATO Secretary General said that he had met President Trump on Monday and agreed to these proposed steps. Talking to reporters, he said, “My special appeal is to those countries which are connected to Beijing, Delhi or Brazil. You should think seriously because these policies will directly affect you.”
Root further said, “My advice is that these countries should contact Vladimir Putin and tell him clearly that it is necessary to show seriousness about peace talks now, otherwise the consequences will be severe.” Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who was present in the meeting, praised President Trump’s announcement, but also expressed concern about the 50-day waiting period. He said, “I fear that Putin will use this time to strengthen his position in the war, commit more murders and come into a better position for negotiations.” Tillis said, “We should make it clear that no matter what Putin does in the next 50 days, none of his achievements will last.” Root also said that Europe will try to keep Ukraine in the strongest position possible during the peace talks. He informed that the US will now provide Ukraine not only air defense, but also missiles and ammunition funded by European countries on a large scale. When asked if Ukraine was being provided with long-range missiles, Root replied, “This support is both defensive and offensive. It includes all types of weapons, but a detailed discussion with the President could not be done yesterday. Now the Pentagon, allied forces in Europe and Ukrainian officials are working together on this subject.”