US names EU condition for tightening US sanctions against Moscow

European countries should stop buying Russianoil and gas if they want Washington to tighten sanctions against Moscow, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told the Financial Times (FT).

The minister noted that Russia could use the income from such exports to finance military operations.

"If the Europeans drew a line and said, we're not going to buy any more Russian gas, we're not going to buy any more Russian oil, would that have a positive effect on the US also becoming more aggressive [in imposing sanctions]? Absolutely," he said.

Wright suggested replacing Russian fuel with American liquefied natural gas (LNG), gasoline and other products. In this way, the EU will be able to fulfill the terms of the trade agreement with the United States, under which it must purchase American energy resources worth $750 billion by the end of 2028, Wright noted.

The US believes that this scenario is beneficial for Europe from an economic point of view, the head of the US Department of Energy explained.

"You want to have reliable energy suppliers who are your allies, not your enemies. <…> The other reason is that the main goal of the [US President Donald] Trump administration and, I believe, the EU is to end the Russia-Ukraine war," he said.

In May, the European Commission presented a plan to gradually phase out Russian energy by the end of 2027. The clause on the EU's refusal to use Russian energy is also included in the trade agreement between Washington and Brussels, concluded in late July. According to it, the EU will refuse to import Russian oil and gas in favor of American energy resources.

The Associated Press, citing a source, wrote that on September 8, a group of European officials led by EU sanctions representative David O'Sullivan will visit the US Treasury Department to discuss various forms of economic pressure on Russia, including new sanctions.

Trump discussed the introduction of sanctions with European leaders on September 4 during an online meeting. Afterwards, French President Emmanuel Macron said that "if Russia continues to refuse concrete peace talks," the United States and Europe would jointly introduce "additional sanctions." He specified that this was about coordinating actions within the framework of "primary and secondary" restrictions. According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump did not make any commitments regarding sanctions during this conversation. At the same time, he stated Washington's readiness to move to the second phase of sanctions against Russia.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had previously called on Europe to follow the US in imposing secondary sanctions on Moscow, that is, on countries that buy Russian oil. European leaders calling on the US to tighten sanctions on Russia, he said, should do something themselves or “shut up.” The EU is currently discussing the 19th package of European sanctions. According toBLOOMBERG , it will be presented in the next few days, and the mechanism for applying secondary restrictions may be used for the first time.

The Kremlin called US demands to stop trade relations with Russia, including oil supplies, illegal threats. Moscow also considers sanctions illegitimate and demands their lifting.

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