U.S. President Donald Trump expressed frustration and anger towards Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him “very angry” and “pissed off” during an interview with NBC News on Sunday, March 30. This marks the first time Trump has directly criticized the Kremlin as he continues efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
Trump’s comments came after Moscow announced additional conditions for a ceasefire agreement backed by the U.S., which aimed to limit attacks in the Black Sea and on energy facilities. Trump said he was upset over the stall in negotiations, especially after Russia’s new demands.
While Trump had previously praised Putin as a “genius” and suggested Ukraine might be partly to blame for Russia’s 2022 invasion, his stance shifted on March 31. He condemned Putin’s call for a transitional government in Ukraine to remove President Volodymyr Zelensky and criticized the Russian president’s demands for Ukraine’s generals to oust Zelensky themselves.
“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,” Trump said. “That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States,” he added, proposing a 25% tariff on Russian oil.
Trump warned that the tariffs could be implemented within a month if a ceasefire is not reached. Despite previously aligning with Moscow on some issues, Trump now condemned Putin’s actions against Zelensky, saying his words were “not going in the right location.”
Though Trump has historically avoided criticizing Putin, calling him a “savvy” leader, he now acknowledged that Putin may be trying to delay the war’s end. Trump emphasized that he still maintains a “very good relationship” with Putin and that his anger could subside if Putin “does the right thing.”
Trump mentioned that the two leaders are expected to speak again soon in an attempt to move the ceasefire talks forward. The Trump administration continues to push for an end to the war, having secured two ceasefire agreements last week. However, Russia broke both deals quickly and added more demands, including asking Europe to lift sanctions on Russian businesses.