Donald Trump went on a tirade against Russian President Vladimir Putin during an early morning phone call on Sunday.
The president repeatedly said he is ‘pissed off’ at Putin for questioning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s credibility and legitimacy after he insisted this week the war torn country needs new leadership.
Trump’s seemingly-full-throated defense of Ukraine and its leader comes after he previously was critical of Zelensky and claimed he was ‘sick’ of handling the war and aiding Kyiv.
Speaking with NBC host Kristen Welker, Trump is now warning Russia it could face a new round of harsh economic sanctions for the flub in peace negotiations.
He said this would include a tariff of between 25 and 50 percent on oil from Russia, as well as a warning to other countries that if they do buy oil from Russia, ‘you can’t do business in the United States.’
Trump on Wednesday will unveil new rounds of tariffs that he says are part of a so-called ‘Liberation Day’ with an aim for the U.S. to stop relying on other countries and bring back business to the home land.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is leading peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in the ongoing Eastern European war – and while it appeared to be heading in the direction for a deal, that might have fallen apart this week.
‘If we’re in the midst of a negotiation, you could say that I was very angry, pissed 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?’ Trump told the Meet the Press host.
‘What he wanted – and I mean, he thought, you know, started talking about new leadership,’ he added. ‘But new leadership means you’re not gonna have a deal for a long time, right?’
Donald Trump says he is ‘pissed off’ at Vladimir Putin for questioning Volodymyr Zelensky’s legitimacy and demanded new leadership for Ukraine
Putin, 72, demanded during a visit to the Russian city of Murmansk on Friday that Zelensky, 47, resign in order to accelerate a peace deal between the two nations.
He said Russia has the ‘strategic initiative’ across the front lines of the war and claimed his country’s troops had moved from the stage of ‘grinding [Ukraine] down’ and vowed to now ‘finish them off ‘ in a fresh threat.
While speaking at the visit to launch a nuclear-powered submarine, Putin said the United Nations should take control in Kyiv in order to install ‘competent’ leadership who would be willing to sign a peace deal.
The Russian leader claimed Zelensky lacks the legitimacy to sign any agreement at this stage due to the Ukrainian leader remaining in power for longer than he was elected for.
Ukrainian law does not allow for elections while the country is under martial law.
Putin said during a visit to Murmansk, Russia on Friday that Ukraine needs new leadership – but the country does not allow for elections while its under martial law
Trump says that Putin is aware he is ‘angry’ but said their relationship remains ‘good.’
The president told NBC News that he will speak with the Russian leader again this week.
The breakdown in peace negotiations comes as it appeared they were leading towards a deal earlier this month.
‘I was pissed off about it,’ Trump told Welker of Putin’s latest comments.
The president vowed: ‘If a deal isn’t made, and if I think it was Russia’s fault, I’m going to put secondary sanctions on Russia.’
‘Anybody buying oil from Russia will not be able to sell their product, any product, not just oil, into the United States,’ he said of the potential economic punishment for Moscow.
Zelesnky sat down with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in a tense Oval Office meeting last month.
An exchange caught on-camera by the press in the room issuing questions for the world leaders showed Trump and Vance demanding that Zelensky thank the U.S. for the billions in military aid and the leadership in peace talks with Russia.
Zelensky, Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance met in the Oval Office on February 28
Trump has repeatedly touted his ability to lead difficult negotiations with adversaries and has said his good relationship with Putin is an asset to the U.S.
In the midst of negotiations, meanwhile, Moscow has maintained its assault on Ukraine by continuing to drop bombs on the wartorn eastern European nation.
Russian troops captured two villages in eastern and southern Ukraine on Saturday, March 29 as the forces continue to push their way into Ukrainian territory despite Trump’s ceasefire efforts.
Putin is now resettling hundreds of thousands of his citizens in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia in a move being likened to ‘ethnic cleansing’ as he seeks to ensure retaining of the captured land.
Russia’s defense ministry revealed that Moscow captured the village of Shchebraki in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and Panteleimonivka in the eastern Donetsk region.
Those Russians who moved to the area allegedly were offered larger salaries with the promise of being able to fill the homes abandoned by fleeing Ukrainians.
