Donald Trump’s fury with Vladimir Putin explained as US President 'p****ed off' with Kremlin
The US President said he was 'very angry, p****d off' after Vladimir Putin suggested Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky step down before he enters into any negotiations
Donald Trump said he was "p****d off" with Vladimir Putin as the Russian despot drags out an attempted negotiated ceasefire in Ukraine. The US President finally threatened Russia with serious consequences for delaying ceasefire negotiations aimed at halting the ongoing war in Ukraine that has raged since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.
Mr Trump's fury came after Putin suggested Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should be replaced by a United Nations-run government in the country to run an election ahead of any peace talks. The shift in tone comes after the Republican and his team publicly berated Mr Zelensky in the White House, accusing him of being a dictator and lashing out at him for not wearing a suit while meeting Mr Trump.
Following Putin's comments, Mr Trump threatened to issue fresh sanctions on Russian oil should a ceasefire not be reached between Moscow and Kyiv. Speaking with NBC News, Mr Trump said: "If a deal isn't made, and if I think it was Russia's fault, I'm going to put secondary sanctions on Russia. Mr Trump added he could impose "a 20 to 50-point tariff on all oil." But how did negotiations between the US and Russia stall? Here is everything we know about talks between the two countries.
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Mr Trump was said to be "very angry" with Vladimir Putin over his suggestion not to enter into a ceasefire deal unless an interim government is in place in Kyiv. It marked the first serious shift in Mr Trump's focus toward Russia amid concerns from European allies that he had been too soft on Moscow, demanding few concessions from Putin compared to Ukraine.
"You could say that I was very angry, p**** off, when...Putin started getting into Zelensky's credibility, because that's not going in the right location," Mr Trump told NBC News. "New leadership means you're not gonna have a deal for a long time."
But the president ended up lashing out once again at Mr Zelensky who he accused of "trying to back out of the rare earth deal." Mr Trump has been keen for Ukraine to sign a rare earth minerals deal in exchange for American involvement in the country post ceasefire and threatened "big, big problems" should Mr Zelensky not agree to it.
Trump threatens tariffs on Russia
"If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and I think it was Russia's fault, which it might not be...I am going to put secondary tariffs...on all oil coming out of Russia," Mr Trump said. The US President then threatened to impose hefty sanctions on Russia should they not agree to a ceasefire within a month.
He continued to tell NBC News: "There will be a 25 per cent tariff on oil and other products sold in the United States, secondary tariffs." Goods entering the US from countries dealing in Russian oil could then face a 50 per cent tariff on their products.
What are Russia's demands?
Russia is keen to put itself in the strongest possible position ahead of any ceasefire talks with the US. Putin has ordered troops to annex as much land as possible while playing the Trump administration against its European allies in order to further strengthen its position.
Moscow has demanded the Russian Agricultural Bank be allowed to reconnect to the Swift international payment system before it agrees to any ceasefire in the Black Sea. The ban was imposed following Russian incursions against Ukraine with the aim of weakening its economy.
Putin has repeatedly called for the Ukrainian president to stand down in the hope a pro-Kremlin replacement can be found. He also wants sanctions on the country to be dropped or significantly scaled back before entering into any serious negotiations.
Russia continues attacks
Despite Mr Trump's repeated calls for a ceasefire, Russia has continued to launch attacks against Ukraine. Kyiv's air force said last week that Russia flew dozens of drones and fired two ballistic missiles at the country during overnight attacks.
Putin has shown no willingness to pause the conflict after Russian troops advanced into its previously occupied Kursk region and its forces steadily make gains in the east of the country. Russian leaders have reportedly been made aware of Trump's fury.
Trump backtracks on Russia rough talk
On Sunday, Mr Trump appeared to back down from his hardened view of Putin. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, he said of Putin: "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 really well."
Mr Trump then said he would speak to the Russian despot this week. The Republican also said Ukraine was "never going to be a member of NATO."
Why is Trump rushing to end war in Ukraine?
Mr Trump walked back his self-imposed deadline to end the war within 24 hours of taking office should he be elected - and has now given himself six months to stop the conflict. The Republican vowed on multiple occasions on the campaign trail that he would he was the only one that could end the war.
European allies were taken by surprise when Mr Trump called the Russian leader in February, as previous US administrations had avoided direct talks with Putin following Russia's support for breakaway republics in 2014 before launching the full-scale invasion in 2022.
