Overview

• Trump told reporters Europe’s sanctions are “not tough enough” and said further U.S. measures depend on NATO and EU countries stopping purchases of Russian oil.
• He proposed 50–100% tariffs on Chinese imports until the war ends, arguing they would weaken Beijing’s influence over Moscow, a plan China’s foreign minister publicly rejected.
• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer pressed G7 finance ministers to align on stricter curbs of Russian energy revenues, reiterating the need for a united front.
• Trump publicly labeled Russia the aggressor in Ukraine, signaling a harder posture after months of resisting such language.
• He said personal hostility between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky is blocking direct talks and offered to mediate, as Axios reported he privately doubts his leverage over Putin.