Trump Says He’s ‘Pissed Off’ at Putin for Undermining Zelensky — Threatens Major Tariffs on Russia if They Stand in the Way of a Ceasefire

(Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva via AP)

President Donald Trump says he’s “pissed off” at Russian President Vladimir Putin for undermining Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky — and threatening major tariffs if he believes Russia is standing in the way of a ceasefire agreement.

In a phone interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker late Saturday, Trump bashed the comments from Putin in which the Russian leader called for a transitional government in Ukraine — which would remove Zelensky from power.

“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 said.

The president added, “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 … That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States. There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25 to 50-point tariff on all oil.”

The comments are particularly notable given the widespread perception of Trump siding with Russia over Ukraine in the conflict — particularly following the Feb. 28 Oval Office blowout between Trump and Zelensky. Still, Trump maintained that he has a strong rapport with Putin overall.

“[I’m] angry, but have a very good relationship with him,” Trump said.