Trump said he‘d impose sanctions ’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.’
President Donald Trump said on March 30 that he would levy secondary tariffs of 25 to 50 percent on all Russian oil, which could start within a month, if he thinks the nation is hindering his efforts to end the war with Ukraine or tries to prevent a cease-fire.
In a Sunday phone interview with NBC News, of which the audio or full transcript hasn’t yet been released, Trump said he was angry when Russian President Vladimir Putin called into question the credibility of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leadership. Trump said he planned to speak with the Russian president this week.
During his campaign last year, Trump repeatedly promised to stop what he has described as a “ridiculous” war in Ukraine, directing significant attention to the issue since assuming office in January.
He has also called for new elections in Ukraine and, at one point, referred to Zelenskyy, who was elected as president in 2019, as a dictator, criticizing Ukraine’s imposition of martial law and suspension of elections during its defense against Russian invasion.
On Friday, Putin, who does not acknowledge Zelenskyy’s presidency as legitimate, said Ukraine should be put under a form of temporary administration to grant new elections and the signing of key accords, which could effectively oust Zelenskyy from power.
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“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 reportedly told NBC News on Sunday.
“That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States. There will be a 25 percent tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.”
The tariffs on Russian oil will be imposed within a month if no cease-fire deal is reached, Trump added, according to the NBC report.
He said he knows Putin is angry with him but noted he has a “very good relationship with [the Russian president]” and “anger dissipates quickly … if he does the right thing.”
Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said on Sunday that he told Trump that the United States needs to set a deadline for brokering a cease-fire deal to end the war in Ukraine in order for it to succeed.
“April 20 would be a good time for a full cease-fire without any conditions … Because a deadline is needed, because it is Easter, and because President Donald Trump will have been in office for three months,” Stubb told Finnish reporters in London.
On Saturday, Stubb made a surprise visit to Trump in Florida, where the two leaders discussed ways of strengthening their nation’s bilateral partnership while playing a round of golf, according to Stubb’s office.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
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