Donald Trump says he's 'very angry' with Putin after Russian leader calls for Zelenskyy to step down
30 March 2025, 15:32
Donald Trump has said he is "very angry and p***** off" with Vladimir Putin after the Russian president called for Volodymyr Zelenskyy to step down.
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Mr Trump said that comments made by Mr Putin on Friday, in which he called for a "transitional government" to take power in Ukraine in place of Mr Zelenskyy were "not going in the right direction".
It comes after a top Kremlin official also said that a ceasefire in Ukraine may not come into effect this year because the two sides were too far apart in their negotiating positions.
Mr Trump told NBC: “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.
“That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States. There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.”
Talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US appear to have stalled after bullish comments made initially by Mr Trump. Mr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of being "manipulative" and warned the US not to fall for the Kremlin's demands.
Russia rejected a full 30-day ceasefire, which had been supported by Ukraine and the US.
Instead the two sides agreed to a limited halt to strikes on the Black Sea and energy infrastructure. Both Russia and Ukraine have already accused each other of violating this.
Grigory Karasin, the diplomat who led Russia's negotiating team with the US earlier this month, said that it would be "naive" to expect any breakthrough results "at the very first meeting".
Mr Karasin, a former ambassador to the UK, said that a truce may not come "this year or at the end of this year”.
He said that the talks had not led to "any radical breakthrough yet, but the opportunities are there".
Meanwhile the war continues to rage.
Late on Saturday, two people died and 35 others were injured after Russian drones hit a military hospital, shopping centre, apartment blocks and other buildings in Kharkiv late on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said.
Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said a 67-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman were killed in the attack on Ukraine's second-largest city.
Ukraine's General Staff denounced the "deliberate, targeted shelling" of the military hospital. Among the casualties were "servicemen who were undergoing treatment," it said.
Former Trump adviser reveals the President's real motivations behind negotiations with Russia
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia fired 111 exploding drones and decoys in the latest wave of attacks overnight into Sunday.
It said 65 of them were intercepted and another 35 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed.
Meanwhile, Russia's ministry of defence said its air defence systems shot down six Ukrainian drones.
According to Ukrainian government and military analysts, Russian forces are preparing to launch a fresh military offensive in the coming weeks to maximise pressure on Ukraine and strengthen the Kremlin's negotiating position in ceasefire talks.
