Bessent slams Europe over Russian oil purchases fueling Putin's war
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (photo: Getty Images)
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, amid President Donald Trump's tariff threats against the European Union, criticized Europe for allowing the construction of Nord Stream 2 and for purchasing Russian energy resources, according to a statement by Bessent cited by the British outlet The Guardian.
Bessent criticized European countries for having allowed Russia to build the Nord Stream 2 pipeline at the time. He also criticized the EU for purchasing Russian energy resources, including oil.
According to the US minister, Europe's short-sightedness allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin to build a military budget and finance his war against Ukraine.
Bessent also commented on trade agreements. According to him, Europe should first dismantle its internal trade barriers and only then external trade barriers.
"Europe is a regulatory morass that is built on bureaucracy, and the layering and layering of rules that constrain economic activity," he added.
Trump began using tariffs in the context of his attempts to annex Greenland to the United States. Recently, he announced that, starting February 1, a 10% tariff on goods from several European countries that support Denmark in the dispute over Greenland would be imposed, rising to 25% in June.
After this announcement, several European leaders issued statements saying they were ready to issue a joint response to Trump's tariff threats. In France, it was stated that Trump is trying to weaken and subordinate Europe by imposing tariffs on European countries.
In addition, the European Union plans to halt the implementation of a trade agreement between the bloc and the United States. Europe is also planning to reduce support for the US dollar and introduce counter-tariffs against the United States.
How Trump is blackmailing Europe with tariffs and what this means for Ukraine can be read in the RBC-Ukraine report.
