President Donald Trump says he is “very angry” at Russian President Vladimir Putin for hampering peace talks with new criticisms of Ukraine.
President Donald Trump is “pissed off” at Russian President Vladimir Putin for lashing out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this weekend, he told NBC News in an interview.
Trump told the outlet that he was frustrated with Putin for not moving in the right direction toward a peace agreement with Ukraine. Putin disparaged Zelenskyy’s leadership on Friday, arguing that a trans-national government may be necessary for Ukraine.
“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,” Trump told the outlet.
“That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States,” he continued. “There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.”
Trump nevertheless clarified that his anger will “dissipate quickly” if Putin “does the right thing.”
Trump last spoke to Putin last week, and the pair plan to have another conversation this week.
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Putin’s latest aggression has gone beyond words as well, with his forces engaging in multiple attacks on Ukrainian targets over the weekend.
Four people were killed and 24 were injured Friday evening after Russian drones struck Dnipro in the country’s east, according to regional Gov. Serhii Lysak and Ukraine’s emergency service. At least eight more people were injured when a Russian ballistic missile struck nearby Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s hometown, Gov. Lysak reported.
A drone attack in Kharkiv on Saturday night also killed two people and injured 35 more.
Putin himself praised the “strategic initiative” of his forces on Thursday.
“Our troops, our guys are moving forward and liberating one territory after another, one settlement after another, every day,” he said at a public forum.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has urged the U.S. to force Moscow to rein in its aggression.
On Thursday, Zelenskyy met with French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of a summit in Paris of some 30 nations about how to strengthen Kyiv’s hand and its military as it pushes for a ceasefire with Russia. Proposals to deploy European troops in the country in tandem with any peace deal are also being discussed.
Fox News’ Michael Dorgan and the Associated Press contributed to this report.