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Donald Trump said he was “whispering” to Vladimir Putin to attract foot in talks on a ceasefire with Ukraine after the US president threatened secondary tariffs for Russian oil buyers if no agreement is made.
Trump’s comments on Sunday revealed the disappointment at the White House with the Russian President as negotiations on a Ukraine war solution continue without clear progress.
The new threat of hitting imports from countries that buy Russian oil comes as Trump prepares to impose fees for goods from many of America’s largest trading partners on Wednesday. The president has announced the moment of “ERITION Liberation”, but the plan has caused riots in markets and anxiety between businesses and governments around the world.
Trump’s explosion in Moscow is a change in tone for the US president, who for weeks blamed Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President, because he was not ready to reach an agreement.
The US president traveled Putin to attack Zelenskyy’s legitimacy as KYIV leader.
“If we are in the middle of a negotiation, you can say that I was very angry, whispered … When Putin began to enter Zelenskyy’s credibility,” Trump told NBC News. “That’s not going to the right location. You understand?”
While Ukraine has agreed on US demands for a full 30-day ceasefire, Russia has opposed the plan and accepted only one ceasefire regarding energy infrastructure targets and maritime operations in the Black Sea and only if West First removes sanctions in some agricultural goods.
Zelenskyy has accused Russia of breaking the energy ceasefire at least twice since it was agreed. “Russia has to be forced in peace – only the pressure will work,” he said this weekend.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who spent seven hours with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday, including a golf, told Financial Times that the US president was “ending” with Putin on the ceasefire.
“I think we’re moving in the right direction,” Stubb said for a London visit, where he will Monday British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in his discussions with Trump.
Stubb said he had proposed setting up an April 20th deadline-which marks three months since Trump returned to the White House accepted a 30-day unconditional ceasefire on land, sea and in the air. Both Western and Eastern Christian churches will celebrate Easter on April 20 this year, a rare stretch of the calendar.
“The Russians are stalling, they are coming with new conditions,” Stubb said. “Let’s call Putin’s Bluff for what it is. Russia at this stage does not want peace. So we have to force peace in Russia.”
Trump had previously threatened Russia with new tariffs and sanctions if it resisted an agreement, but expanding trade trade to Russian oil buyers in other countries would add more pressure on Putin.
“If a deal has not been made, and if I think it was Russia’s fault, I will impose secondary sanctions on Russia,” Trump NBC told.
Trump did not provide a clear explanation of what the plan would include. He said “anyone who buys oil from Russia will not be able to sell their product, any product, not only oil, in the United States” but also said there will be a “25 to 50 points for all oil” fee.
The US president added that he would hit the “secondary tariffs” in Iran if they did not make an agreement on his nuclear program after he renewed his threat to “bombing” Tehran if they did not hit an agreement.
