U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he was “pissed off” at Russian President Vladimir Putin and will impose secondary tariffs of 25% to 50% on buyers of Russian oil if he feels Moscow is blocking his efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump told NBC News he was very angry after Putin last week criticized the credibility of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s leadership.
Since taking office in January, Trump has been friendlier toward Russia than previous presidents, making Western allies nervous as he tries to negotiate an end to Russia’s three-year war in Ukraine.
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His harsh comments about Putin on Sunday show he’s getting frustrated about the lack of progress toward a ceasefire.
“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 … I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump said.
“That would be, that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States,” Trump said. “There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.”
Trump later told reporters he was disappointed with Putin but added: “I think we are making progress, step by step.”
Trump said he could put these new trade penalties in place within a month.
Russia hasn’t responded yet. In the past, Russia has called Western sanctions “illegal” and claimed they’re just designed to give Western countries economic advantages over Russia
Trump spent the weekend at his Florida estate and told NBC News he planned to talk with Putin this week. The two leaders have had at least two phone calls in recent months that were publicly announced, though the Kremlin suggested there might have been more conversations.
The White House didn’t immediately comment on when the call would happen, or if Trump would also speak with Zelenskiy.
Trump has made ending what he calls a “ridiculous” war a priority since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but hasn’t made much progress.
Putin suggested on Friday that Ukraine could be put under a temporary government to allow for new elections that might remove Zelenskiy from power.
Trump, who has also called for new elections in Ukraine and called Zelenskiy a dictator, said Putin knows he’s angry with him. But Trump added he had “a very good relationship with him” and “the anger dissipates quickly… if he does the right thing.”
