From the Liveblog of
Sunday, March 30, 2025
Trump voices anger at Putin for comments about Ukraine’s Zelensky, threatens sanctions
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US President Donald Trump has voiced anger at Russian President Vladimir Putin for comments he made about Ukraine and its president Volodymyr Zelensky.
In an early Sunday morning phone interview with NBC News, Trump was referencing comments Putin made Friday about temporarily putting Ukraine under external governance. Trump said he was “angry, pissed off” when Putin “started getting into Zelensky’s credibility.”
Putin repeated his claim that Zelensky, whose term expired last year, lacks the legitimacy to sign a peace deal. Under Ukraine’s constitution, it is illegal for the country to hold national elections while it’s under martial law.
“If a deal isn’t made, and if I think it was Russia’s fault, I’m going to put secondary sanctions on Russia,” Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker, adding that there would be “a 25 to 50-point tariff on all oil.”
“Anybody buying oil from Russia will not be able to sell their product, any product, not just oil, into the United States,” he said.
Nonetheless, Trump reiterated that he and Putin have a “very good relationship.”
The US has been pushing for a comprehensive ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine to peacefully end their 3-year-old war.
The Times of Israel Community.