President Donald Trump said on March 30 that he would levy secondary tariffs of 25 percent to 50 percent on all Russian oil, which could start within a month, if he thinks that the nation is hindering his efforts to end the war with Ukraine or tries to prevent a cease-fire.
In a March 30 phone interview with NBC News, of which the audio and transcript have not yet been released, Trump said he was angry when Russian President Vladimir Putin called into question the credibility of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leadership. Trump said he planned to speak with the Russian president this week.
During his campaign last year, Trump repeatedly promised to stop what he has described as a “ridiculous” war in Ukraine, and he has directed significant attention to the issue since assuming office in January.
He has also called for new elections in Ukraine and, at one point, referred to Zelenskyy, who was elected as president in 2019, as a dictator, criticizing the Ukrainian leader’s imposition of martial law and suspension of elections during the country’s defense against Russian invasion.
On March 28, Putin, who does not acknowledge Zelenskyy’s presidency as legitimate, said Ukraine should be put under a form of temporary administration to grant new elections and the signing of key accords, which could effectively oust Zelenskyy from power.
“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 ... I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump reportedly told NBC News on March 30.
“That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States. There will be a 25 percent tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.”
The tariffs on Russian oil will be imposed within a month if no cease-fire deal is reached, Trump said, according to the NBC report.
The president said Putin knows he is angry but noted that he has a “very good relationship with [the Russian president]” and “anger dissipates quickly ... if he does the right thing.”
On his flight back to Washington on Sunday evening, Trump reiterated his message to Putin.
Asked when he wanted Russia to agree to a cease-fire, Trump said there was a “psychological deadline.”
“If I think they’re tapping us along, I will not be happy about it,” he said.
Trump also had words for Zelenskyy.
“He’s trying to back out of the rare earth deal, ” Trump said, referring to negotiations over U.S. access to critical minerals in Ukraine. “And if he does that, he’s got some problems. Big, big problems.”
Trump and Zelenskyy were supposed to sign the deal when the Ukrainian leader visited the White House. However, their meeting ended acrimoniously in front of television cameras in the Oval Office.
Trump suggested on Sunday that Zelenskyy wanted to “renegotiate the deal” to get better security guarantees.
“He wants to be a member of NATO,” he said. “Well, he was never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that.”
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on March 30 that he told Trump that the United States needs to set a deadline for brokering a cease-fire deal to end the war in Ukraine in order for it to succeed.
“April 20 would be a good time for a full cease-fire without any conditions. ... Because a deadline is needed, because it is Easter, and because President Donald Trump will have been in office for three months,” Stubb told Finnish reporters in London.
On March 29, Stubb made a surprise visit to Trump in Florida, where the two leaders discussed ways of strengthening their nations’ bilateral partnership while playing a round of golf, according to Stubb’s office.
