Trump tells Europe to halt Russian oil purchases, Macron says

 U.S. President Donald Trump has urged European leaders to stop buying Russian oil, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday after talks in Paris.

Macron told a press conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Trump raised the issue during a call with EU leaders, singling out Hungary and Slovakia, which continue to import Russian crude.

“President Trump and the U.S. administration, like us, have been very concerned since the start of this war about the choices of two EU countries that continue to buy Russian oil,” Macron said. “It is very good that the American administration is saying it should stop, because sometimes these countries argue they are close to the United States.”

Zelenskiy said Trump was “very unhappy” that Russian oil was still being purchased in Europe.

Earlier, a U.S. official told Reuters that Trump had also pressed European leaders to put economic pressure on China for its support of Russia in the war against Ukraine. The official said Trump noted that EU oil imports had brought Russia about €1.1 billion over the past year.

Trump joined the Paris discussions via video link as European leaders and Zelenskiy met at the Élysée Palace to discuss future security guarantees.