Rubio: China refining Russian oil, reselling to global markets including Europe

US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Sunday, 17 August, said that Russian oil purchased by China is being refined there and then sold into the global marketplace, with some of it ending up in Europe.

“Well, if you look at the oil that’s going to China and being refined, a lot of that is then being sold back into Europe. Europe’s also buying natural gas still. Now, there are countries trying to wean themselves off it, but there’s more Europe can do with regard to their own sanctions,” Rubio told Fox Business.

Asked whether Washington might impose sanctions on Europe for continuing to buy Russian energy, Rubio said he did not expect direct measures but noted the impact of possible secondary sanctions.

.@SecRubio on @FaceTheNation:
“There are things Russia wants that it cannot get and there are things Ukraine wants it's not going to get. Both sides are going to have to give up something in order to get to the table in order to make this happen. That's just the way it is. The… pic.twitter.com/5TV7AIftJF

— Department of State (@StateDept) August 17, 2025

European leaders to join Ukraine’s Zelenskyy for meeting with Trump

“If you put secondary sanctions on a country – let’s say you were to go after the oil sales of Russian oil to China – well, China just refines that oil. That oil is then sold into the global marketplace, and anyone who’s buying that oil would be paying more for it or would have to find an alternative source,” he explained.

Rubio pointed out that proposals in the US Senate for a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese and Indian oil trade had raised concerns in several European capitals. “Not in press releases, but we heard from them directly,” he said.

Emphasising cooperation, Rubio added, “I don’t want to get into a tit-for-tat with the Europeans. I think they can play a very constructive role here in helping us get to that point.”

With PTI inputs