By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump told European leaders on Thursday that Europe must stop purchasing Russian oil that he said is helping Moscow fund its war against Ukraine, a White House official said.
Trump joined a call of the “Coalition of the Willing” countries, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, who were meeting on security guarantees for Kyiv in the event of a peace deal with Russia.
“President Macron and European leaders called President Trump into their ‘Coalition of the Willing’ meeting. President Trump emphasized that Europe must stop purchasing Russian oil that is funding the war — as Russia received 1.1 billion euros in fuel sales from the EU in one year,” the official said.
“The president also emphasized that European leaders must place economic pressure on China for funding Russia’s war efforts,” the official said.
The European Commission has proposed legislation to phase out EU imports of Russian oil and gas by January 1, 2028, as Brussels seeks to sever its decades-old energy relations with Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Trump has been frustrated at his inability to get a halt to the fighting in Ukraine after he initially predicted he would be able to end the war swiftly when he took office last January.
The official said Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were among the leaders on the call.
“The ‘Coalition of the Willing’ meeting was on security guarantees for Ukraine. President Trump questioned their seriousness while they continue to fuel Russia’s economy and war. The president made clear that this is not his war, and the Europeans must step up as well,” the official said.
(Reporting By Steve Holland; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
