Bessent Warns Europe It’s ‘Put Up or Shut Up’ Time on Russia

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged European nations to be prepared to get on board with higher tariffs on China and other nations that buy Russian energy, lamenting that he got a cool response when he floated the idea at a Group of Seven meeting earlier this year.

Bessent said sanctions on Russia “can go up” or “can be loosened” depending on the outcome of a meeting set for Friday between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin. But the Europeans need to back the idea of harsher measures in any case.