President Donald Trump said Sunday he is "very angry" and "pissed off" at Vladimir Putin over the Russian president's remarks late last week suggesting the removal of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the implementation of a "transitional administration" in Ukraine.
In a Sunday morning interview with NBC News, Trump threatened a 25% tariff on Russian oil if a ceasefire deal can't be reached.
"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 NBC News.
"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% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil."
Putin on Friday called for a presidential election in Ukraine and then "begin negotiations" on a "peace agreement."
"We could, of course, discuss with the United States, even with European countries, and of course with our partners and friends, under the auspices of the U.N., the possibility of establishing a transitional administration in Ukraine," Putin said.
Trump said Putin knows he is angry but that the "the anger dissipates quickly ... if he does the right thing."
Trump told Newsmax's Greg Kelly in an exclusive Oval Office sitdown earlier this week he was under the impression Russia was "dragging their feet" and mentioned sanctions pressure should be brought down on Russia.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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