NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised comments by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday that Russia can expect more tariffs and sanctions if it does not end the war in Ukraine.
“I was very happy with Trump's position of imposing more sanctions on Russia. We know that the Russian economy is doing very poorly, and sanctions will help,” he told CNBC on the sidelines of the World Economic Conference. Davos Forum, Switzerland.
He expressed hope that Europe would now also “escalate” sanctions in an attempt to “stifle the Russian economy” and reduce Moscow's war coffers.
“Trump is right, Ukraine is closer to Europe, but Trump is also right that this is a geopolitical conflict, so I'm sure the United States wants it to end with a good, strong agreement,” Rutte added.
When asked about his current assessment of the war between Ukraine and Russia, Rutte said: “At the moment, it is not moving in the right direction.”
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned Russia that it could expect more tariffs and sanctions if it does not end the war in Ukraine. He also previously threatened to cut off military funding to Ukraine, in a move that raised questions about whether Europe would need to decide whether to intervene to fill the gap left by the United States.
This breaking news story is being updated.
