Importance Score: 65 / 100 🔴
Donald Trump went on a tirade against Russian President Vladimir Putin during an early morning phone call on Sunday.
The president repeatedly said he is ‘pissed off’ at Putin for questioning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s credibility and legitimacy.
Putin insisted this week that the war torn country needs new leadership.
Speaking with NBC host Kristen Welker, Trump warned that Russia could face a new round of harsh economic sanctions for the flub in peace negotiations.
He said this would include a tariff of between 25 and 50 percent on oil from Russia, as well as a warning to other countries that if they do buy oil from Russia, ‘you can’t do business in the United States.’
Trump on Wednesday will unveil new rounds of tariffs that he says are part of a so-called ‘Liberation Day’ with an aim for the U.S. to stop relying on other countries and bring back business to the home land.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is leading peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in the ongoing Eastern European war – and while it appeared to be heading in the direction for a deal, that might have fallen apart this week.
‘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 Zelenskyy’s credibility, because that’s not going in the right location, you understand?’ Trump told the Meet the Press host.
‘What he wanted – and I mean, he thought, you know, started talking about new leadership,’ he added. ‘But new leadership means you’re not gonna have a deal for a long time, right?’
Donald Trump says he is ‘pissed off’ at Vladimir Putin for questioning Volodymyr Zelensky’s legitimacy and demanded new leadership
Putin, 72, demanded during a visit to the Russian city of Murmansk on Friday that Zelensky, 47, resign in order to accelerate a peace deal between the two nations.
He said Russia has the ‘strategic initiative’ across the front lines of the war and claimed his country’s troops had moved from the stage of ‘grinding [Ukraine] down’ and vowed to now ‘finish them off ‘ in a fresh threat.
While speaking at the visit to launch a nuclear-powered submarine, Putin said the United Nations should take control in Kyiv in order to install ‘competent’ leadership who would be willing to sign a peace deal.
The Russian leader claimed Zelensky lacks the legitimacy to sign any agreement at this stage due to the Ukrainian leader remaining in power for longer than he was elected for.
Ukrainian law does not allow for elections while the country is under martial law.
Trump says that Putin is aware he is ‘angry’ but said their relationship remains ‘good.’
The president told NBC News that he will speak with the Russian leader again this week.