NEW YORK, Sept 14 (BBC): US President Donald Trump has said he is ready to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, but only if Nato countries meet certain conditions which include stopping buying Russian oil.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said he was "ready to do major sanctions on Russia" once Nato nations had "agreed, and started, to do the same thing".
Trump has repeatedly threatened tougher measures against Moscow, but has so far failed to take any action when the Kremlin ignored his deadlines and threats of sanctions.
He described the purchases of Russian oil as "shocking" and also suggested that Nato place 50 to 100per cent tariffs on China, claiming it would weaken its "strong control" over Russia.
In what he called a letter to Nato nations, Trump said: "I am ready to 'go' when you are. Just say when?"
He added "the purchase of Russian oil, by some, has been shocking! It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia".
Trump also claimed the halt on Russian energy purchases, combined with heavy tariffs on China "to be fully withdrawn" after the war, would be of "great help" in ending the conflict.
Meanwhile, Romania says a Russian drone has breached its airspace - the second Nato country to report such an incursion.
Romanian fighter jets were in the air monitoring a Russian attack in Ukraine on Saturday and were able to track the drone near Ukraine's southern border, the defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the incursion could not be a mistake - it was "an obvious expansion of the war by Russia". Moscow has not commented on the Romanian claims.
On Wednesday, Poland said it had shot down at least three Russian drones which had entered its airspace.
In its statement, Romania's defence ministry said it detected the Russian drone when two F-16 jets were monitoring the country's border with Ukraine, after "Russian air attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure on the Danube".
