US expects Hungary to abandon Russian oil and calls on China to pressure Moscow - US ambassador to NATO
The United States expects Hungary to develop and implement a plan to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas, and is also calling on China to join international pressure on Moscow to end the war in Ukraine, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said on Fox News, stressing that the administration of President Donald Trump continues to use all available tools, including sanctions, to force Russia to stop military operations.
"We expect countries such as Hungary, Turkey and Slovakia, which continue to buy Russian oil and gas, to develop a plan and implement a plan that will eliminate their dependence on Russian oil and gas. And Hungary, unlike many of its neighbors, has not developed any plans and has not taken any active steps," Whitaker said.
He also noted that US President Donald Trump has "all the cards in his hands" and will continue to pressure Moscow, including with oil sanctions:
"President Trump holds all the cards in his hands. The Russians must end this senseless war as soon as possible. It will not get any better for them… In fact, they (the Russians in the IF-U) are looking very weak right now… They are not gaining any territory for the thousands of soldiers they are losing every week on the battlefields of Ukraine." Whitaker added that China plays a key role in ending the war, as it supplies Russia with significant amounts of oil, gas and dual-use technologies. "The Chinese are buying too much Russian oil and gas right now. They are giving the Russians too much dual-use technology to continue this war, whether it’s drone parts or other technology that can be used to continue it. China needs to join the United States and our other allies… And President Trump is absolutely right to put pressure on the Russians," the ambassador stressed.
Asked by a journalist about the effectiveness of the sanctions, Whitaker said that the frozen Russian assets in Europe worth about $200 billion could significantly support Ukraine and influence the battlefield.
