US President Donald Trump has said he is ready to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, but only if NATO countries meet certain conditions which include stopping buying Russian oil.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said he was ready to do major sanctions on Russia once NATO nations had agreed, and started, to do the same thing.
Trump has repeatedly threatened tougher measures against Moscow, but has so far failed to take any action when the Kremlin ignored his deadlines and threats of sanctions.
He described the purchases of Russian oil as shocking and also suggested that NATO place 50% to 100% tariffs on China, claiming it would weaken its strong control over Russia.
In what he called a letter to NATO nations, Trump said: I am ready to 'go' when you are. Just say when?
He added the purchase of Russian oil, by some, has been shocking! It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia.
Trump also claimed the halt on Russian energy purchases, combined with heavy tariffs on China to be fully withdrawn after the war, would be of great help in ending the conflict.
Europe's reliance on Russian energy has fallen dramatically since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In 2022, the EU got about 45% of its gas from Russia. That is expected to fall to about 13% this year, though Trump's words suggest he feels that figure is not enough.
The US president's message came during heightened tensions between NATO allies and Russia after more than a dozen Russian drones entered Polish airspace on Wednesday.
Warsaw said the incursion was deliberate, but Moscow downplayed the incident and said it had no plans to target facilities in Poland.
Trump's most recent threat of tougher sanctions on Russia came earlier in September after the Kremlin's heaviest bombardment on Ukraine since the war began.
The US previously placed tariffs of 50% on goods from India - which included a 25% penalty for transactions with Russia that are a key source of funds for the war in Ukraine.
