President Donald Trump has expressed strong displeasure over recent remarks made by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who suggested that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should step down. Trump, never one to shy away from confronting global leaders, has made it clear that he finds Putin’s comments deeply troubling. With a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine at a dead halt, Trump’s frustration has resulted in the president threatening to impose new tariffs on Russia if it is at fault for stalling an end “to bloodshed.”
During an interview NBC’s News’s Kristen Welker, Trump said he was “pissed” and “very angry” after Putin claimed Zelensky is not a legitimate leader.
“If I feel, 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 Zelensky’s credibility, because that’s not going in the right location, you understand?” Trump said.
Trump stated that if he is unable to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, and if he believes Russia is at fault, he would impose a 25 percent tariff on Russian oil.
“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,” the president 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 25 percent tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.”
Putin recently demanded for the establishment of a transitional government in Ukraine, which could potentially replace President Zelensky. He also warned that any agreement signed by Ukraine’s government could face significant opposition.
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“Under the auspices of the United Nations, with the United States, even with European countries, and, of course, with our partners and friends, we could discuss the possibility of introduction of temporary governance in Ukraine,” Putin said. He added that “democratic elections, to bring to power a viable government that enjoys the trust of the people, and then begin negotiations with them on a peace treaty.”
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