Trump is ‘very angry’ with Putin and threatens new tariffs on Russian oil

U.S. President Donald Trump said he is “very angry” with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the conflict in Ukraine, threatening to impose new tariffs on Russian oil, marking a significant shift in his stance toward Moscow.

NBC anchor Kristen Welker said the U.S. president called her to express his anger over Putin’s questioning of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s future as a leader.

During her show Meet The Press on Sunday, Welker relayed Trump’s remarks from an early morning phone call.

She quoted him as warning, “If Russia and I cannot reach an agreement to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I determine that Russia is at fault, I will impose secondary tariffs on oil coming from Russia.”

Welker noted that Trump said he was “very angry and upset” when Putin began making comments about Zelensky’s credibility and started talking about new leadership in Ukraine.

Trump also mentioned that he would speak with the Russian president in the coming week.

Since taking office, the U.S. president has sought a swift end to the war that has lasted more than three years in Ukraine, but his administration has failed to make a breakthrough despite holding talks with both sides.

Putin rejected a joint U.S.-Ukrainian plan for a 30-day ceasefire and suggested on Friday that Zelensky step down as part of the peace process. This proposal reflected a tougher stance in Moscow’s negotiations and angered Kyiv.

Trump told NBC that Putin is aware of his anger, while also stating that he has “a very good relationship with him,” adding, “Anger fades quickly… if he does the right thing.”

Strengthening Russia’s Position

Improved relations between Washington and Moscow since Trump took office, along with his threat to cut support for Kyiv, have strengthened Russia’s position on the battlefield as it continues its struggling invasion of Ukraine.

Kyiv accuses Moscow of prolonging negotiations with no intention of ending the war, as Russia launched a new attack over the weekend on the northeastern border city of Kharkiv.

Ukrainian officials reported that six strikes targeted Ukrainian regions from Saturday night to Sunday, injuring one person in a military hospital and killing at least two people in a residential building.

Additionally, Moscow announced on Sunday that its forces had seized a village just seven kilometers from the border of the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk as part of its latest advance.

Russian forces had not crossed the region’s borders since the invasion began in 2022, but they have been advancing towards it for months, hoping to make a breakthrough.

No Ceasefire

Putin, who has been in power for 25 years and has been re-elected multiple times without facing a serious challenger, has frequently questioned Zelensky’s “legitimacy” as president following the expiration of his five-year term in May 2024.

According to Ukrainian law, elections are suspended during major military conflicts, while all of Zelensky’s local opponents have stated that elections should not be held until the war ends.

Trump himself had a tense relationship with Zelensky, once calling him a “dictator” and criticizing him in front of journalists and media during his visit to the White House last month.

In his nightly address on Saturday, Zelensky said, “For too long, the U.S. proposal for an unconditional ceasefire has been on the table without an appropriate response from Russia.”

He added, “There could have been a ceasefire if there was real pressure on Russia,” expressing gratitude to the countries that “understand this” and have intensified sanctions pressure on the Kremlin.

Moscow and Kyiv agreed on a framework for a Black Sea truce following talks with U.S. officials earlier this week, but Russia stated that the agreement would not take effect until Ukraine’s allies lifted some sanctions.

Explaining his threat to impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil, Trump told NBC, “This means that if you buy oil from Russia, you will not be able to do business in the United States.”

He added, “There will be a 25 percent tariff on all oil, and tariffs ranging between 25 and 50 points on all oil,” without providing further details.