By During a recent interview, former President Donald Trump voiced strong criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, indicating a potential change in his stance on U.S.-Russia relations if he were to return to the White House. Speaking with NBC’s Kristen Welker on Meet the Press, Trump said he was “pissed off” by Putin’s recent comments that questioned the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and hinted at the need for new leadership in Kyiv.
These remarks, delivered by Putin at an Arctic forum, seemed to provoke an intense reaction from Trump, who expressed clear frustration over the Russian leader’s statements, writes The Guardian.
“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,” he said.
Elevated sanctions on Russia “would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States,” he said. “There will be a 25% tariff on all … on all oil, a 25 to 50-point tariff on all oil.”
Trump said he planned to speak to Putin in the coming week.
He indicated that Putin’s call for new leadership in Ukraine meant that a peace deal could be delayed. “New leadership means you’re not gonna have a deal for a long time, right?” he said.
“If I feel, if we’re in the midst of a negotiation, you could say that I was very angry, pissed off, when Putin said yesterday that … you know, when Putin started getting into Zelenskyy’s credibility, because that’s not going in the right location, you understand?”
Donald Trump telling Meet the Press’ Kristen Welker that he’s “pissed off” at Putin and threatening secondary tariffs on Russian oil is comical.
Also, him saying “if I think it is Russia’s fault, which it might not be” is a joke.
Bro is getting played like a fiddle. pic.twitter.com/ROLINQeRfW
— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) March 30, 2025
The Daily Beast noted that “senior GOP officials have repeatedly called for Zelensky to step down in the interest of peace, with Trump’s own aides suggesting the Ukrainian president would lose an election, which the country has not held since martial law was declared at the beginning of the conflict.
The president himself has said Zelensky is ‘refusing to have elections’ and referred to the leaders as a ‘dictator’ who has done ‘a terrible job.’
Noting that he plans to speak with his Russian counterpart later this week, Trump assured NBC that Putin is aware that he opposes a transitional government but added the pair have ‘a very good relationship” and that “the anger dissipates quickly … if he does the right thing.’”
This stance represents a notable shift from his earlier rhetoric, which was widely viewed as more accommodating toward Vladimir Putin. Trump has repeatedly condemned the Biden administration’s handling of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, frequently claiming on the campaign trail that he could negotiate a peace agreement within just 24 hours.
One month into Trump’s presidency, the White House hosted a calamitous meeting in which both Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance lambasted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—relentlessly and with visible contempt—for what they deemed an appalling lack of gratitude toward the United States for its wartime support. Later, it was revealed that Democrats had advised the Ukrainian leader to reject a deal the White House had been negotiating as part of the peace effort.
All the while, Russia has intensified its campaign of violence, even as negotiations for a fragile peace limp forward. On Saturday, amid a flurry of overnight strikes, Russian forces deliberately targeted a military hospital in Kharkiv—a northeastern city already battered by months of sustained assault.
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