Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent calls for the removal of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in favour of a transitional administration have drawn harsh criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump expressed his frustration at Putin’s remarks in an interview with NBC News on Sunday, highlighting the possibility that such behaviour may jeopardise the ongoing ceasefire talks between the two nations.
“If I feel we’re in the midst of a negotiation, 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 direction,” Trump said in response to Putin’s remarks casting doubt on Zelensky’s reliability, calling it a setback.
“New leadership means you’re not gonna have a deal for a long time,” he added.
He also threatened to put secondary tariffs on Russian oil, which could range from 25 to 50 percent on all Russian oil exports, if a ceasefire agreement could not be achieved.
The proposed tariff would be implemented within a month.
“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.
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“That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States.
“There will be a 25 percent tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil,” Trump added.
Last month, the US president again criticised Zelensky and Ukrainian leadership, calling him a “dictator” and casting doubt on his popularity in Ukraine.
As of now, Moscow has not responded to Trump’s comments, though he indicated he would speak with Putin later this week.
