- Trump expressed 'anger' at Putin over comments about Zelenskyy and threatened 25%-50% secondary tariffs on Russian oil buyers if peace talks fail.
- Russian Press Secretary Peskov responded to Trump's frustration, saying Putin's communication line would be open this week if needed.
- Despite earlier statements that Trump and Zelenskyy had 'moved beyond' mineral deal talks, Trump warned Zelenskyy would face 'big, big problems' if he backs out of the rare earth deal agreement.
Amid peace talks mediated by the U.S., Ukraine and Russia have been observing a limited ceasefire this past weekend, designed to halt strikes on the countries’ energy infrastructures and ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea.
However, on Sunday, President Donald Trump expressed his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin on “Meet The Press.” Describing a recent conversation with Putin, Trump said, “I was very angry, pissed off, when Putin started getting into Zelenskyy’s credibility and started talking about new leadership in Ukraine.”
Russian Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov quickly responded to Trump’s statements, saying, “We continue working with the U.S. side, first of all, on building our relations,” per BBC.
Peskov added that there are no calls scheduled between Trump and Putin this week, but Putin’s line will be open “if necessary.”
Trump raises 50% oil tariff threat against Russia over ceasefire
Accompanying his statement of being “pissed off” at Putin over his comments about Zelenskyy, Trump told reporters he would impose a secondary tariff of 25% to 50% on Russian oil buyers.
“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 reportedly told NBC News on Sunday, as Reuters reported.
He 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.”
If no ceasefire deal is reached within a month, the tariffs will go into effect.
However, Trump is optimistic that the tariffs won’t be necessary. He told The Epoch Times, “I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word. I’ve known him for a long time. We’ve always gotten along well.”
Trump had words for Zelenskyy as well, and minerals deal talks reignite
After White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Trump and Zelenskyy had “moved beyond” discussions about a minerals deal between Ukraine and the U.S., Trump suggested that talks of the deal are ongoing.
Aboard Air Force One, Sunday, Trump told reporters, Zelenskyy is “trying to back out of the rare earth deal, and if he does that he’s got some problems, big, big problems,” per the New York Post.
This is the same deal that brought heated discussion between Trump, Zelenskyy and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office at the end of February.
Trump has characterized the deal as a way the country could repay the U.S. for its billions in aid during the Biden administration. If agreed on, it would allow U.S. access to Ukrainian oil, gas and minerals through a joint investment fund.
However, at a Ukrainian press briefing, Friday, Zelenskyy told reporters about the latest draft he’d received. The draft is “a completely different document, with many new provisions that were not previously discussed, as well as some aspects that had already been rejected by both sides,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy’s latest concern over the bill is whether it would prohibit his country’s accession into the EU. He told reporters he would consider the bill “when there are no relevant legislative threats in it.”