NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has warned that countries like Brazil, China, and India could face secondary U.S. sanctions if they do not pressure Russia into negotiating peace in the ongoing war with Ukraine.
Rutte urged these major global players to act now, stating, “My encouragement to these three countries particularly is if you live now in Beijing or in Delhi, or you’re the president of Brazil, you might want to take a look into this, because 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.”
The statement comes shortly after former U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 50-day ultimatum for Russia to engage in peace talks or face harsh new penalties, including “secondary tariffs” of 100% and secondary sanctions. These measures are aimed at countries that continue trade relations with Russia despite existing international sanctions.
While Trump did not explicitly name Brazil, China, or India, these nations have continued purchasing Russian oil and petroleum products since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. U.S. lawmakers are also advancing legislation that could impose tariffs as high as 500% on countries doing business with Moscow.
Senator Richard Blumenthal highlighted this effort in a post on X, saying, “We’ll continue to push for Senator Graham & my Russia Sanctions bill with even tougher penalties to deter India, China, Brazil & others from fueling Putin’s war machine.” He added, “Congressional action sends a powerful message of support.”
Any potential sanctions could further strain U.S. relations with India and China. India is currently negotiating a trade agreement with Washington that includes 20% reciprocal tariffs, while U.S.–China ties have seen recent improvement following a trade truce reached in May.
Rutte’s remarks put added diplomatic pressure on key non-Western countries to influence Russian President Vladimir Putin, as global leaders look for new leverage to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.