US President Donald Trump on Thursday asked the European leaders to take sharp action against Russia. He asked the world leaders to stop purchasing Russian oil as it helps fund its war against Ukraine,
a White House official said.
The discussion was held during a call of the “Coalition of the Willing” countries, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, who were meeting in Paris on security guarantees for Kyiv in the event of a peace deal with Russia. Trump joined the meeting virtually.
“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 was quoted as saying Reuters.
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’s demand to the European nations comes amid the ongoing efforts to isolate Russia economically after its invasion of Ukraine.
‘Place Economic Pressure On China’
During the call, US President also urged the European leaders to put economic pressure on China as it funds Russia’s war tactics. Trump also said in the call that “European leaders must place economic pressure on China for funding Russia’s war efforts,” the official told Reuters.
Trump’s frustration due to his inability to stop Russia-Ukraine war is globally evident. He initially predicted he would be able to end the war swiftly when he took office last January.
After the meeting, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared his insights of the call and also thanked Trump for “real efforts” towards ending peace.
“Today we spoke with President Trump. I thank him for his support. It was a long and detailed conversation about how to push the situation toward real peace. We discussed various options. The most important: applying the right pressure. Strong measures, particularly economic ones, to force an end to the war. The key to peace is depriving Russia’s war machine of money and resources,” Zelenskyy’s X post reads.
Today we spoke with President Trump. I thank him for his support. It was a long and detailed conversation about how to push the situation toward real peace. We discussed various options. The most important: applying the right pressure. Strong measures, particularly economic ones,…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 4, 2025
The White House official said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were among the leaders on the call.
