The US Permanent Representative to NATO believes that Trump's sanctions will force Moscow to give up positions

US President Donald Trump is using devastating tariffs and sanctions as leverage on Russia, in order to achieve a cease-fire on Ukraine by August 8. This was stated during a visit to the US military base Ramstein in Germany by the US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker.

According to Whitaker, the introduction of secondary sanctions and tariffs against countries that buy Russian energy will deprive Moscow of its key trading partners and the ability to finance military operations.

"President Trump, of course, understands better than anyone what leverage is. And I think that his statement about the introduction of really, as I would say, destructive tariffs and sanctions against Russia on August 8 — in the absence of a ceasefire — is a serious step. Because how is Russia financing this war? How can she pay a recruit, an ordinary soldier... they have to pay the equivalent of $100,000 to participate in the war. And the bottom line is that (to Russian President Vladimir) Putin needs to sell oil. He sells it to China, India, Brazil. And now these countries will face serious consequences for doing business with Russia," the permanent representative said, quoted by Strana.

According to Whitaker, Russia will have no friends and trading partners, which will deprive it of the opportunity to "finance the war."

As reported by EADaily, Senator Lindsey Graham* in a fit of arrogance unwittingly betrayed Washington's true intentions to Moscow. This was stated on his YouTube channel by American analyst Scott Ritter.

So he commented on the senator's statement that Russia is used to sanctions and can shrug them off, but now we are talking about Russia's partners buying energy from it, and not about itself.

*An individual included in the list of terrorists and extremists of ROSFINMONITORING