India, China and Brazil could be ‘hit very hard if…’: NATO Chief’s big warning over Russia ties

Source: Moneycontrol | Original Published At: 2025-07-16 01:48:07 UTC

Key Points

• NATO Secretary General warns India, China, Brazil over Russia ties amid Ukraine conflict
• Threats of secondary sanctions echo Trump administration's stance
• 50-day deadline given to Putin for peace talks with Ukraine
• India's Russian crude imports reach near-record levels

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva watch a military parade during a welcome ceremony at Alvorada Palace in Brasilia on July 8, 2025. (AFP Photo)

Days after US President Donald Trump’s threat to BRICS allies, NATO chief has warned India, Brazil and China over ties with Russia. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte specifically mentioned New Delhi and Beijing as he met American lawmakers in the US Congress on Wednesday.

“My encouragement to these three countries, particularly is, if you live now in Beijing, or in Delhi, or you are the president of Brazil, you might want to take a look into this, because this might hit you very hard,” Rutte was quoted as saying by Reuters.

The remarks come two days after NATO chief met the US President over the latest terms of weapon supply to Ukraine. Rutte echoed Trump’s sentiments, who had also warned of secondary levies against countries that buy Russian exports.

Rutte went on to say, “So please make the phone call to Vladimir Putin and tell him that he has to get serious about peace talks, because otherwise this will slam back on Brazil, on India and on China in a massive way.”

Trump’s new deadline for Russia

NATO Chief’s stern remarks are seen as an effort to encourage Russia to come on board for a peace deal with Ukraine. The US President has given a 50-day deadline to Russian President Vladimir Putin. On numerous occasions, he has expressed his displeasure with Putin. In an interview with BBC, Trump had reiterated that he is frustrated with the stubborn stance of Putin. “He talks all nice and then goes on to bomb Kyiv,” Trump had said in a media interaction earlier.

How much India imports from Russia

As per the June data, India’s crude oil imports from Russia rose to their highest in nearly a year. The data from Kpler showed the New Delhi imported 2.08 million barrels per day of Russian crude last month. This was the highest since July last year.