By Enyichukwu Enemanna
US President Donald Trump says he was “very angry, pissed off” with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, NBC reported on Sunday, marking a sharp change of tone as Washington seeks to end the three-year war in Ukraine.
According to NBC’s Kristen Welker, Trump called her to express his anger over Putin questioning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s future as a leader.
Welker, on her NBC show Meet The Press on Sunday, quoted directly from an early-morning telephone conversation with the president.
“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 all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump said.
Trump told Welker that he was “very angry, pissed off” over Putin’s recent comments about Zelensky’s credibility and his talk of a UN-backed new leadership in Ukraine.
The US president has been pushing for a speedy end to the war since taking office, but his administration has failed to reach a breakthrough despite negotiations with both sides.
Putin rejected a joint US-Ukrainian plan for a 30-day ceasefire and on Friday suggested Zelensky be removed from office as part of the peace process.
Trump told NBC that Putin knows he is angry, but said that he has “a very good relationship with him” and that “the anger dissipates quickly… if he does the right thing.”
Ukraine has accused Russia of dragging out talks with no intention of halting its offensive since 2022, with fresh attacks on the north-eastern border city of Kharkiv.
Putin, in power for 25 years and repeatedly elected in votes with no competition, has often questioned Zelensky’s “legitimacy” as president, after the Ukrainian leader’s initial five-year mandate ended in May 2024.
Under Ukrainian law, elections are suspended during times of major military conflict, and Zelensky’s domestic opponents have all said no ballots should be held until after the conflict.
