Speaking to NBC News on Sunday,(30 Mar ’25) President Donald Trump said that he was “very angry, pissed off” at Vladimir Putin. The president’s rare invective against the Russian leader, together with his threat to impose tariffs on international buyers of the country’s oil, appeared to reflect the administration’s growing frustration at the main obstacle to a durable peace deal in Ukraine: the Kremlin. 

Last month, Russia effectively rejected a Ukrainian-endorsed U.S. proposal to freeze fighting along all fronts for 30 days. Now, Putin is dragging his feet on Trump’s efforts to secure significantly pared-down deals to mutually halt attacks on energy targets and on the Black Sea—a strategy that could backfire as Trump considers ways to force Russia into concessions. 

On Sunday, Trump threatened to target not just Russian oil but also its international purchasers with hefty tariffs unless there’s a breakthrough. “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 all oil coming out of Russia,” the president told NBC