Trump hardens stance on Putin with oil tariff threat

West Palm Beach — US President Donald Trump toughened his stance on Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, saying he will impose secondary tariffs of 25%-50% on buyers of Russian oil if he feels Moscow is blocking his efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump said he was “p*ssed off” after Putin last week criticised the credibility of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s leadership, NBC News reported, citing a telephone interview early on Sunday.

Trump said he could impose the new trade measures within a month, in comments that reflect his growing frustration about the lack of movement on a ceasefire in the three-year conflict, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

“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 said.

“That would be, that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the US,” Trump said. “There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.”

There was no immediate reaction from Moscow. Russia has called numerous Western sanctions and restrictions “illegal” and designed for the West to take economic advantage in its rivalry with Russia.

Trump, who spent the weekend at his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, told NBC News he planned to speak to Putin this week. The two leaders have had two publicly announced telephone calls in recent months but may have had more contacts, the Kremlin said in video footage last week.

Since taking office in January, Trump has focused heavily on ending what he calls a “ridiculous” war in Ukraine.

Putin on Friday suggested Ukraine could be placed under a form of temporary administration to allow for new elections that could push out Zelensky.

Trump himself has called for new elections in Ukraine and denounced Zelensky as a dictator.

Trump’s latest comments followed a day of meetings and golf with Finnish President Alexander Stubb on Saturday, during Stubb’s surprise visit to Florida.

Stubb’s office said on Sunday he told Trump that a deadline needed to be set for establishing a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire to make it happen, and suggested April 20 since Trump would have been in office then for three months.

US officials have been separately pushing Kyiv to accept a critical minerals agreement, a summary of which suggested the US was demanding all Ukraine’s natural resources income for years.

Zelensky has said Kyiv’s lawyers need to review the draft before he can say more about the US offer.

Trump last week imposed what he called a 25% secondary tariff on US imports from any country buying oil or gas from Venezuela.

His remarks on Sunday suggest he could take similar action against US imports from countries that buy oil from Russia, a move that could hit China and India particularly hard.

Trump said Putin knew he is angry with him, but added he had “a very good relationship with him” and “the anger dissipates quickly … if he does the right thing”.

Reuters