Key points
- Donald Trump has threatened with secondary tariffs to Russian oil buyers.
- The threats follow Vladimir Putin criticizing the leadership of Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- Trump says the measures could be imposed within a month if Russia does not cooperate.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, says he is “angry” with Russian President Vladimir Putin and will impose secondary tariffs of 25 percent to 50 percent in Russian oil buyers if he feels that Moscow is blocking his efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump told NBC News that he was very angry after Putin last week criticized the credibility of the leadership of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the television network reported on Sunday, citing a telephone interview.
Since he assumed the position in January, Trump has adopted a more conciliatory position towards Russia that has left Western allies cautious while trying to negotiate the end of the three -year war of Moscow in Ukraine.
His acute comments about Putin on Sunday reflect his growing frustration about the lack of movement in a high fire.
“If Russia and I cannot reach an agreement to stop the spill of blood in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault … I will put secondary tariffs on oil, especially oil that comes 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 rate of 25 percent especially the oil, a rate of 25 to 50 points especially the oil.”
Trump said he could impose new commercial measures within a month.
There was no immediate Moscow reaction.
Russia has called numerous “illegal” western sanctions and restrictions and designed for the West to take advantage of the economic advantage in its rivalry with Russia.
Trump, who spent the weekend on his farm in Palm Beach, Florida, told NBC News that he planned to talk to Putin this week.
The two leaders have received two telephone calls announced publicly in recent months, but they may have had more contacts, the Kremlin said in video images last week.
The White House had no immediate comments about when the call was made, or if Trump would also talk to Zelenskyy.
It is not clear if Donald Trump will also talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the next few days. Fountain: AAPA / Pool/Abaca/Pa
Last week, Putin suggested that Ukraine could be placed in a form of temporary administration to allow new elections that could expel Zelenskyy.
Trump, who has asked for new elections in Ukraine and denounced Zelenskyy as dictator, said Putin knows he is angry with him.
But Trump added that the couple has “a very good relationship” and “anger dissipates quickly … yes [Putin] does the right thing. “
Growing pressure to end the war
Trump’s comments followed a day of meetings and golf with Finnish President Alexander Stubb on Saturday, during Stubb’s surprise visit to Florida.
On Sunday, the Stubb office said it told Trump a deadline to establish a high Russia-Ukraine fire to make it a reality and suggested on April 20, since Trump would have been in office for three months.
American officials have been pressing Ukraine separately to accept a critical mineral agreement, a summary that suggested that the United States demanded all the income of natural resources from Ukraine for years.
Zelenskyy has said that his government’s lawyers must review the draft before he can say more about the offer of the United States.
Trump prepared the stage for Sunday’s news with a secondary rate of 25 percent imposed last week in US imports of any country buying oil or gas from Venezuela.
His comments to NBC suggest that he could take similar measures against American imports from countries that buy oil from Russia, a measure that could affect China and India particularly difficult.
The United States has not imported any Russian crude oil barrel since April 2022, according to data from the United States government.
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