President Donald Trump just turned up the heat on Vladimir Putin, threatening crushing secondary tariffs on all Russian oil exports and unleashing a rare display of anger over the Russian leader’s remarks about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In an early morning call with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Trump said he was “very angry, pissed off” after Putin floated the idea of replacing Zelensky as a condition for peace.
It’s a striking shift in tone from a president who has built his foreign policy legacy on bold diplomacy and strongman negotiations. But make no mistake—Trump hasn’t gone soft. He’s frustrated because, as he sees it, Russia is dragging its feet in peace negotiations while continuing to rain missiles on Ukrainian cities like Kharkiv.
“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,” Trump told NBC, “I will impose secondary tariffs on all oil coming out of Russia.” That means any country buying oil from Moscow would have to choose: do business with Putin, or do business with the United States.
Let that sink in. Trump is threatening to use the full might of the American economy to squeeze Russia’s oil exports—the backbone of its entire economy—unless Putin stops the war. It’s bold. It’s strategic. And it’s exactly what leadership looks like when peace is on the line.
Some in the media are clutching their pearls over Trump’s fury, but here’s the truth: a strong America doesn’t whisper in the face of global aggression. Trump’s approach is simple—make peace, or pay a price. That’s not weakness. That’s deterrence backed by real consequences.
Putin recently rejected a proposed 30-day ceasefire put forward by the U.S. and Ukraine. Instead, he took to the global stage to insult Zelensky and question his legitimacy. Trump—who’s never been shy about criticizing Zelensky himself—saw this as a line crossed. Why? Because even Trump knows that undermining negotiations with personal attacks is a dead-end strategy.
Let’s be clear: Trump doesn’t need to be best friends with Zelensky to demand peace. He doesn’t have to like Ukraine’s politics to condemn Putin’s brutality. And he doesn’t need lectures from European bureaucrats or Democrat talking heads to know when America’s economic leverage should be used.
Trump made clear to NBC that he still maintains a “very good relationship” with Putin, but warned that goodwill evaporates fast if Putin keeps stonewalling peace talks. “The anger dissipates quickly… if he does the right thing,” Trump said. That’s the carrot. The stick? Up to 50% tariffs on Russian oil and global isolation for anyone financing the war machine.
Critics are already fretting that Trump’s renewed pressure could destabilize markets or strain diplomatic ties. But where were those critics when Biden sat idly by while Putin invaded Ukraine in the first place? Where was their outrage when American taxpayers shelled out hundreds of billions with zero results?
Trump has already done more to push both sides to the table than three years of failed Biden “diplomacy.” Black Sea ceasefire talks are underway. U.S. officials have reopened direct lines of communication with both Moscow and Kyiv. There’s movement—finally.
And now, Trump is laying down a new red line: this war ends soon, or the economic pain will escalate dramatically. It’s Trump being Trump—tough, unpredictable, and absolutely committed to ending foreign wars the only way he knows how: through American strength.
Report: Trump Considers More Russia Sanctions as EU Eases Theirs https://t.co/RXWLXVTkyv
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) March 15, 2025
