OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:02 PM – Thursday, September 4, 2025
President Donald Trump is calling on European leaders to halt purchases of Russian oil, hoping to increase pressure on Moscow to participate in substantive negotiations in relation to Ukraine and the ongoing war.
During a recent virtual meeting with European leaders in Paris, Trump stressed that ongoing oil purchases from Russia were indirectly funding the conflict. A White House official reported that Russia earned roughly €1.1 billion (around $1.3 billion) from fuel sales to the European Union (EU) over the past year.
In Paris, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Western allies met on Thursday to discuss potential security guarantees for Ukraine — which would be negotiated for in any peace deal with Russia.
At the meeting, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff represented the U.S., while President Trump urged participants to halt purchases of Russian oil, warning that such trade was directly financing Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
“President Trump emphasized that Europe must stop purchasing Russian oil that is funding the war — as Russia received [$1.28 billion] in fuel sales from the EU in one year,” a White House official stated. “The president also emphasized that European leaders must place economic pressure on China for funding Russia’s war efforts.”
Although China, India, and Turkey are largely responsible for 75% of Russian fossil-fuel purchases, European nations also purchased roughly $25.5 billion in Russian fossil fuels in 2024, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
The Trump administration has started imposing secondary tariffs on commercial partners, particularly India, that purchase Russian oil, as the United States explores multiple strategies to undermine Russia’s capacity to sustain its war effort.
The administration is also considering additional sanctions against Russia due to the lack of progress in peace talks following the August summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A senior White House official, speaking with the New York Post, stated that the U.S. will consider such sanctions on the condition that European allies agree to cooperate.
“The U.S. wants Europe to join in sanctions with Washington and to stop purchasing Russian oil,” the official stated.
Meanwhile, Andriy Yermak, a Zelensky advisor, told the outlet that the discussion of sanctions will be brought to the table.
“I understand it’s necessary [for the U.S. to receive] additional signal from Europe that [pending] American sanctions, they will immediately join and … [be] ready to not buy Russian oil,” Yermak stated. “I understand, and it will be communicated.”
Additionally, Zelensky issued an X post on Thursday to discuss the “Coalition of the Willing” meeting with world leaders in Paris, noting that each attendee “shares the same view that Russia is making every effort to drag out the negotiation process and prolong the war. Support for Ukraine must be increased, and pressure on Russia must be intensified. Preparations for the 19th EU sanctions package are underway. Japan is also working on sanctions measures.”
“We discussed in detail each country’s readiness to make a contribution to ensuring security on land, at sea, in the air, and in cyberspace. We coordinated positions and reviewed elements of security guarantees. I am grateful to everyone for understanding that the main security guarantee is a strong Ukrainian army,” he continued.
Zelensky emphasized that he “would like to give special thanks to President Trump for all his efforts to end this war and for America’s readiness to provide support to Ukraine on its part.”
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