Donald Trump said he was “very angry” and “upset” with Russian President Vladimir Putin after weeks of a tent to negotiate a cease-fire in Ukraine.
In an interview with NBC News, the American president said he was angry with Putin to have attacked the credibility of the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and threatened to impose a 50% rate on Russian oil if he did not accept a cease-fire.
“If Russia and I cannot conclude an agreement on the end of bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault-what it may not be … I will put secondary prices … on all the oil coming out of Russia,” he said.
Comments mark a change in Trump tone towards Putin and Russia.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
European leaders feared that Trump contracts in Putin while negotiations on a ceasefire in Ukraine continued.
Over the past six weeks, Trump has Harangue Zelensky in the Oval office and has asked for many concessions from the Ukrainian president. In turn, he flattered Putin and largely yielded to the requests of the Russian president.
It seems to be a gap in this dynamic. This is the first time that the United States has seriously threatened Russia to drag its feet into cease-fire negotiations, which seems to give the diplomatic ball to the Moscow court.
NBC News reported that in a 10-minute telephone interview Trump said he was very angry and “annoyed” when Putin criticized the credibility of Zelensky’s management, although the president himself called the Ukraine leader a dictator and asked for elections.
“You might say that I was very angry, upset, when … Putin started to enter the credibility of Zelensky, because it does not go in the right place,” said Trump.
“The new leadership means that you will not have an agreement for a long time,” he added.
Speaking of Putin, Trump said the Kremlin knew his anger, but noted that he had “a very good relationship” with the Russian chief and “anger dissipates quickly … if he does the right thing”.
If Russia does not follow a ceasefire, Trump threatened to target his economy more if he thought it was Putin’s fault.
“There will be a 25% price on oil and other products sold in the United States, secondary prices,” said Trump, noting that Russia prices would come in a month without a cease-fire contract.
Secondary prices are sanctions against countries that do business with another country. They could represent up to 50% on goods entering the United States from countries that still buy oil from Russia. The biggest buyers of this type by a long margin are China and India.
Zelensky wrote on social networks following the interview according to which “Russia continues to seek excuses to draw this war even more”.
He said that “Putin plays the same game he has since 2014”, when Russia unilaterally annexed the Crimean Peninsula.
“This is dangerous for everyone – and there should be an appropriate response from the United States, Europe and all our global partners who seek peace.”
Trump said he would talk to Putin later in the week.
Russia launched a large -scale invasion of its neighbor, Ukraine, in February 2022. It currently controls around 20% of the Ukrainian territory.
More than 100,000 people who are fighting for Russian soldiers have now died while the war in Ukraine is entering the fourth year, according to data analyzed by the BBC Russian, the independent media group Medizona and the volunteers who have had death since February 2022.
Ukraine has updated its victim figures for the last time in December 2024, when President Volodymyr Zelensky recognized 43,000 Ukrainian deaths among soldiers and officers. Western analysts believe that this figure is an underestimation.
Also on Sunday in the interview with the NBC, Trump said that he “did not joke” when he said that he did not exclude seeking a third mandate in the White House, although it was prohibited by the American Constitution.
“Many people want me to do it,” said Trump. “But, I mean, I essentially tell them that we have a long way to go.”
During the call with NBC, he also threatened to bomb Iran again if he did not accept a nuclear agreement. Trump earlier this month sent a letter to the requiring negotiations.
“It will be bombings as they have never seen before,” he said, noting that he would also impose secondary prices.
On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that the country would not enter into direct negotiations with Washington concerning their nuclear program, but that indirect discussions were possible.
“We do not avoid talks; it is the violation of the promises that has caused us problems so far,” he said. “They must prove that they can strengthen confidence.”
