247 - The Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Mark Rutte, declared this Wednesday (15) that countries such as Brazil, China and India could face harsh secondary sanctions if they persist in maintaining commercial relations with Russia. The warning, according to CNN Brasil, was made during a meeting with US senators in the United States Congress.

Rutte's remarks come a day after US President Donald Trump announced a new arms shipment to Ukraine. Trump also conditioned continued military support on a peace agreement within 50 days. According to the president, if this objective is not achieved, his government could adopt punitive tariffs against countries that are"fueling the war with business dealings with the Kremlin."

The threat of secondary sanctions increases pressure on so-called non-aligned countries — especially BRICS members such as Brazil, China and India — that maintain economic ties with Moscow, even after Western sanctions imposed since the start of the war in Ukraine.

The warning from Rutte, newly sworn in as head of the Western military alliance, reflects the alignment between NATO and the White House in an attempt to isolate Russia internationally. So far, Brazil, China, and India have sought to adopt a neutral position in the conflict, with repeated calls for diplomatic solutions to end the war.