1 day Ago By Ari Yanover
U.S. President Donald Trump said he was “very angry” at Vladimir Putin and threatened “secondary tariffs” on buyers of his country’s oil if the Russian leader refuses a ceasefire with Ukraine.
In comments reported by NBC News, Trump said he was “pissed off” at Putin for casting doubt on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s legitimacy as a negotiating partner, and threatened curbs on “all oil coming out of Russia.” He later added that he didn’t think the Russian president would “go back on his word.” While the U.
S. president appeared to temper his remarks, the threats mark a significant change of tone for Washington and suggest a possible souring in relations with his Russian counterpart over the pace of ceasefire talks. Before taking office, Trump said he could resolve the war quickly, but the conflict rages on more than two months later.
“I certainly wouldn’t want to put secondary tariffs on Russia,” Trump later clarified in comments to reporters on Air Force One, adding he was “disappointed” with some of Putin’s recent comments on Zelenskyy. “He’s supposed to be making a deal with him, whether you like him or don’t like him. So I wasn’t happy with that.
But I think he’s going to be good.” Trump’s frustration was sparked by comments Putin made on Friday that implicitly challenged Zelenskyy’s legitimacy by proposing the United Nations should take over Ukraine with a temporary government overseen by the U.S.
and possibly even some European countries. The Kremlin on Monday said that Putin remained open to contacts with Trump. “If necessary, their conversation will be organized very quickly,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to the state-run Tass news agency, though he said no call had been scheduled yet.
Peskov also said that Russia was continuing to work with the U.S. to build bilateral relations, according to Tass.
Trump maintained pressure on Zelenskyy to agree to a deal to give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s resources.
“He’s trying to back out of the rare earth deal and if he does that he’s got some problems — big, big problems,” Trump said. “If he’s looking to renegotiate the deal, he’s got big problems.” Russia is one of the world’s three largest oil producers, meaning any attempt to punish purchases of Russian supplies could have a far-reaching effect on the oil market, and any disruptions could add to inflationary pressures.
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