Trump 'very angry' with Putin, threatens tariffs on Russian oil
What's the story
After weeks of trying to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, US President Donald Trump has said he is "very angry" and "pissed off" with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the NBC News interview, Trump accused Putin of making Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy look bad. "If Russia and I are unable to make a deal... I am going to put secondary tariffs... on all oil coming out of Russia," he said.
Diplomatic shift
Trump's comments indicate a change in stance
Trump's latest comments mark a drastic shift in his diplomatic stance toward Russia. For the first time, the US issued serious threats to Russia over its failure to move on ceasefire negotiations. This seems to be putting pressure on Moscow, as European leaders were concerned Trump was being too lenient towards Putin amid ongoing ceasefire talks.
Public rebuke
Trump condemns Putin's criticism of Zelenskyy
In the 10-minute phone interview with NBC, Trump was seething over Putin's recent comments questioning Zelensky's leadership. "You could say that I was very angry, pissed off when... Putin started getting into Zelenskyy's credibility because that's not going in the right location," he said. However, despite the public rebuke, Trump maintained he had a good relationship with Putin, and his anger would go away if the Russian leader acted right.
Economic sanctions
Trump threatens economic consequences for Russia
Trump also threatened economic consequences for Russia if there was no ceasefire and blamed Putin. "There will be a 25% tariff on oil and other products sold in the United States, secondary tariffs," he said. Such secondary tariffs could go as high as 50% on imports into the US from countries that keep buying Russian oil, with China and India being the top importers.
Ongoing conflict
Zelensky accuses Russia of stalling ceasefire negotiations
Zelenskyy, in response to Trump's comments, accused Russia of using delaying tactics in the ongoing war. "Russia continues looking for excuses to drag this war out even further," he said on social media. He also warned that "Putin is playing the same game he has since 2014," when Russia annexed Crimea. Over 100,000 Russian military personnel have died as the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, according to an analysis by BBC Russian, Mediazona, and volunteer death trackers.