US President Donald Trump has urged NATO allies to stop buying Russian oil and impose tariffs on China, warning he will otherwise delay action against Moscow. But European officials say his demands are unrealistic and risk serving as an excuse for Washington to soften its own stance on the Kremlin.

In a Truth Social post over the weekend, Trump said he would introduce “major sanctions” on Russia if all NATO members halted purchases of Russian oil.

The European Union has already banned nearly all Russian crude imports following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, cutting its reliance from 29 percent in early 2021 to just 2% by mid 2025.

Only two countries , Hungary and Slovakia are maintaining friendly ties with both Moscow and Trump. They continue to import Russian oil, though Brussels has pledge to phase out all purchases of Russian fossil fuels by 2027.

EU Commission President Ursula von der leyen has said the bloc is exploring options to accelerate that timeline. Diplomats noted that Trump’s pressure could help push Budapest and Bratislava to fall in line, but warned that Turkey is also part of NATO outside of EU.

It remains a bigger obstacle as it has ramped up oil imports from Russia while refusing to join sanctions.

Trump also called for NATO countries to impose tariffs of “50% to 100%” on Chinese goods, to be lifted once the war in Ukraine ends. But Brussels, while sanctioning Chinese firms accused of aiding Moscow, has little appetite for a broader trade war with Beijing.

“Tariffs is not something that is really discussed at the moment”, one EU diplomat said.The EU is preparing its 19th package of sanctions on Russia, which officials say will likely include measures targeting additional Chinese businesses but not sweeping tariffs.

Despite, consultations in Washington diplomats say genuine coordination with the US remains limited.

Privately, some Europeans officials worry Trump’s demands are designed less to pressure Russia than to shield himself from criticism. “Even if his requests are deliberately excessive, it still forces us to come to terms with them in some way in order to avoid him shifting the blame onto the EU”, said one diplomat.

Another warned the administration may use Europe’s reluctance as grounds to justify holding back on tougher actions against Moscow.