President Trump leveled the strongest criticism ever against Vladimir V. Putin on Sunday, threatening to impose “secondary tariffs” on Russian oil if the country blocks negotiations in a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine that will stop fighting.
The comments broadcast on “Meet the Press” by show host Kristen Welker reflect the conversation she said of Trump a few hours ago, where he shows growing impatience over negotiations. Trump told her that a 25-50% tariff on Russian oil could be imposed “at any time” and that he plans to talk to his Russian counterparts this week.
“If Russia and I can't get a contract to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine and if it's Russia's fault, that may not be the case, but if it's Russia's fault, I'm going to put secondary tariffs on oil, I'm going to put all the oil coming out of Russia,” Trump said.
Trump has previously collected taxes and secondary tariffs on imports from countries that purchase products from countries targeted by foreign policy. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The comments were notable given the steps Trump took to match Putin despite US support for Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion more than three years ago. Since taking office, Trump has refused to admit that Russia has started the war, falsely declaring Zelensky as a “dictator” rather than Putin, and accusing Zelensky of not wanting peace.
Trump's remarks also reflect his growing promise to use tariffs to force him to bend towards domestic and foreign policy goals. In the same call, he said he would consider Iran's secondary tariffs if he didn't sign a contract with the US to not develop nuclear weapons, Welker said.
Trump told Welker that he was “very angry and angry” with Putin after questioning Zelensky's credibility and discussing the outlook for a new leadership in the country. Trump suggested that such comments could bring negotiations back and that they “don't go to the right place.”
“The new leadership means you're not going to make a deal for a long time, right?” Trump said.
Russia and Ukraine agreed to a limited ceasefire, but with Ukraine's support, it fell short of the complete fighting suspension that Trump administration officials have sought. Limited ceasefire fires remain tenuous as Russia is sought for more concessions and Ukraine has expressed doubt that the ceasefire will be supported.
Regarding negotiations on Iran's nuclear capabilities, Trump raised a prospect of military action if the economy or other measures were not successful, but officials from both countries said they were “talking” according to NBC's Welker's statement of call with president.
“If they don't make a deal,” Trump said of Iran, “There will be bombings. They will bomb things they have never seen before.”
Earlier this month, Trump sent the letter to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging direct negotiations with Tehran's government and suppressing the country's progressive nuclear program. The letter said Trump preferred diplomacy over military action.
Trump's hikes of secondary tariffs on oil from Russia and Iran was the latest example of a president trying to use the prospects of economic pressure on third-party countries.
Last week, he issued an executive order on Monday to crack down on the country that buys Venezuela oil by imposing tariffs on goods sent to the United States, claiming that Venezuela had sent “intentionally and deceived” criminals and murderers to the United States.
Trump has called for a new taxation threatened “secondary tariffs” on Venezuelan oil buyers. This is a label that reflects “secondary sanctions.”
Some trade and sanctions experts have said existing secondary sanctions related to countries such as Russia and Iran are already not fully enforced, questioning whether the US has the capacity to withdraw new tariff-based penalties.
