Mark Rutte has warned the BRICS nations of “large” financial repercussions in the event that they proceed to do enterprise with Moscow
Brazilian Overseas Minister Mauro Vieira has slammed feedback by the top of NATO about potential secondary sanctions on BRICS nations who commerce with Russia.
Secretary-Normal Mark Rutte on Tuesday declared that Brazil, India, and China would face “penalties” in the event that they maintained enterprise ties with Russia. He singled out oil and gasoline commerce, and urged the international locations’ leaders to name Russian President Vladimir Putin and push him to have interaction “severe[ly]” in Ukraine peace talks.
Brazil is a founding member of BRICS, shaped in 2006 with Russia, India, and China. The financial bloc has since expanded to incorporate South Africa, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, the UAE, and Indonesia. Final 12 months, BRICS accredited a brand new ‘accomplice nation’ standing in response to rising membership curiosity proven by greater than 30 international locations.
Talking to CNN Brazil on Friday, Vieira dismissed Rutte’s feedback as “completely absurd,” declaring that NATO is a navy bloc, not a commerce physique, and that Brazil isn’t a member.
“Brazil, like all different international locations, handles industrial issues bilaterally or throughout the WTO framework. Due to this fact, these statements by Rutte are completely unfounded and irrelevant,” Vieira mentioned.
He additionally famous that the EU – a lot of whose members are a part of NATO – is a major purchaser of Russian vitality. Regardless of efforts to cut back reliance on Russian oil and gasoline, the bloc nonetheless purchases massive portions of Russian LNG, accounting for 17.5% of its imports in 2024, business information reveals.
Rutte’s warnings comply with an identical menace from US President Donald Trump, who this week introduced new navy support for Ukraine and threatened 100% tariffs on nations buying and selling with Russia, until a peace deal is reached inside 50 days.
Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov has criticized EU and NATO leaders for making use of “improper stress” on Trump to undertake a hardline stance on the battle.
Moscow says it stays open to negotiations with Kiev however remains to be ready for a response on when talks will resume. The 2 sides have held two rounds of direct negotiations in Istanbul this 12 months, however no breakthroughs had been achieved, aside from agreements to conduct large-scale prisoner exchanges.
