NATO Chief Warns Brazil, China, India of Severe U.S. Sanctions Threat

(MENAFN) NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte issued a stern warning on Tuesday to countries like Brazil, China, and India, cautioning that continued trade with Russia could trigger secondary sanctions imposed by the United States.

Currently in Washington, DC, Rutte met with US President Donald Trump, who on Monday threatened to levy a full 100% secondary tariff on Russia if no agreement to end the war in Ukraine is reached within 50 days.

Rutte emphasized to reporters that “The US will now supply massively, Ukraine with weapons out of the US, not just air defense, also missiles, also ammunition paid for by the Europeans.”

He further explained, “President Trump said, basically, if Russia is not serious about peace talks, within 50 days, he will slam secondary sanctions on countries like India, China and Brazil."

Speaking alongside US Senators Thom Tillis and Jeanne Shaheen, Rutte urged the leaders of those nations to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to engage sincerely in peace negotiations, warning that “this might hit you very hard."

He added, “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."

Rutte assured that Europe is prepared to finance Ukraine’s defense needs to strengthen its position once peace discussions commence.

When asked about the possibility of long-range missiles being sent to Ukraine, Rutte stated, "It is both defensive and offensive. So there's all kinds of weapons, but we have not discussed in detail yesterday with the president. This is really being worked through now by the Pentagon, by the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, together with the Ukrainians."

Senator Shaheen expressed strong support for the continued arms shipments, saying she was "very pleased" with the commitment.

Addressing a US legislative proposal to sanction Russia, Shaheen emphasized, "We need to go forward with this Graham-Blumenthal sanctions bill. It's got 85 bipartisan co-sponsors. It sends a very strong message we need to be prepared if, in fact, we're going to give Russia 50 days."

The bill, introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal on April 1, seeks to impose a steep 500% tariff on imported goods from countries that continue purchasing Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other products.

Shaheen also voiced her opposition to granting Russia a 50-day grace period, stressing, "because I think every day that Russia is able to continue this war, means dead Ukrainians."

Senator Tillis commended President Trump’s actions but shared concerns over the 50-day timeline, saying it "worries me."

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