Donald Trump said he was “angry” and “p****d off” with Vladimir Putin as he threatened new tariffs, after Russia put forward a proposal that Ukraine should oust President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as part of a peace deal
Donald Trump admitted he’s ‘very angry’ with Vladimir Putin, which has pushed him to threaten imposing tariffs on Russia.
The orange man baby launched a foul-mouth tirade about the Russian aggressor after Putin proposed a peace deal that would involve Ukraine ousting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and establishing a transitional government.
In a TV interview, Trump fumed: “If we’re in the midst of a negotiation, you could say that I was very angry, p****d off, when Putin said yesterday that – you know, when Putin started getting into Zelenskyy’s credibility, because that’s not going in the right location, you understand?”
Speaking to NBC News, Trump reiterated his anger and frustration as Russia continues to “drag its feet” in peace talks with the US over the Ukraine conflict.
“If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault, which it might not be, but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump warned.
Trump, who has frequently employed tariffs as a tool of economic pressure since beginning his second term, continued: “That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States. There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.”
Trump has taken a more assertive tone towards Moscow compared to his previously softer stance since becoming president. He highlighted having a “very good relationship” with Putin but criticised the Russian leader’s remarks about Zelensky as being counterproductive to advancing peace negotiations, reports the Mirror.
The orange president is set to have another conversation with Putin this week.
In an update that could spell a lengthy process, a Russian envoy recently warned peace discussions might extend to 2026, clashing with Trump’s objectives for ending the conflict in Ukraine.
“It would have been naïve to expect any breakthroughs,” was the frank admission from negotiator Grigory Karasin on Russia’s state TV Channel Rossiya 24.
In a rebuff to US peace efforts, Russia dismissed a proposed 30-day ceasefire and instead demanded a lifting of sanctions, including those impacting food and fertiliser, to be eased, as well as a rollback of EU economic sanctions.
This came after the US suggested it would aid in restoring Russia’s access to global markets for these products in exchange for a ceasefire in the Black Sea.
With Europe showing reluctance to withdraw sanctions, and Kremlin critics doubting Russia’s commitment to making strides in peace talks as it continues to notch battlefield victories, Trump also remarked on March 25 that Russia might be “dragging their feet”.
Russian forces are gearing up for a new assault in the next few weeks, aiming to tighten the screws on Ukraine and bolster their bargaining chips in ceasefire discussions. “Putin wants to negotiate over territory from a stronger position,” Zelensky said in Paris last week.
While peace talks loom, Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians persist. A brutal drone strike blitzed Kharkiv late Saturday, tragically claiming two lives and injuring 35 others, hitting a military hospital, shopping hub and apartment builds.
Ukraine’s military heads have blasted the “deliberate, targeted shelling” of their facility. The casualties included “servicemen who were undergoing treatment.”
In an overnight onslaught into Sunday, the Ukrainian Air Force reported a barrage of 111 Russian drones and decoys buzzing the skies. They shared that they managed to shoot down 65, where another 30 became ‘electronically scrambled’.
On Sunday, Zelensky said “most regions of Ukraine” had tasted Russian fury over the week. Penning his thoughts on X, he explained: “1,310 Russian guided aerial bombs, over 1,000 attack drones – mostly ‘Shaheds’ – and nine missiles of various types, including ballistic ones” have rained down on Ukraine.