Trump Slams Putin Over Zelensky Remarks, Signals Shift On Ukraine

In a rare moment of public outrage directed at Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump didn’t mince words. Speaking to NBC’s Meet the Press, Trump said he was “pissed off” and “very angry” after the Russian leader took a swipe at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, questioning his legitimacy and suggesting it might be time for new leadership in Kyiv.

That kind of rhetoric didn’t sit well with Trump—especially coming from Putin. And it may mark a long-term shift in Trump’s posture toward negotiating an end to the Russo-Ukrainian War three years after Moscow’s full-scale invasion ground to a halt in a bloody quagmire.

As NBC News reports, Trump has made it clear he will consider imposing “secondary tariffs” on Russian oil—additional taxes on countries that continue to purchase Russian barrels—if a ceasefire is not achieved:

Agence France-Presse reported that Putin on Friday called for a transitional government to be put in place in Ukraine, which could effectively push out Zelenskyy.

“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,” Trump said in an early-morning phone call with NBC News on Sunday.

“That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States,” Trump said. “There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.”

President Joe Biden banned Russian oil imports shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Since then, the amount of Russian oil imported to the United States has plummeted, to only 10,000 barrels of Russian crude oil and petroleum products in 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Putin’s calculated remarks came during Russia’s International Arctic Forum, themed “The Arctic — Territory of Dialogue,” calling into question whether Zelensky still has a real mandate to lead. But under the Constitution of Ukraine, holding national elections during martial law is prohibited.

Article 83 specifies that if the Verkhovna Rada’s (parliament’s) term expires while martial law is in effect, its authority extends until the first session of the newly elected parliament convenes after martial law ends. Additionally, the Law of Ukraine “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law” explicitly bans presidential, parliamentary and local elections during such periods.

These legal mechanisms are intended to preserve governmental stability and ensure continuity during wartime, effectively serving as a de facto affirmation of President Zelensky’s legitimacy amid ongoing conflict.

While some Republicans have called for Zelensky to step down, Ukraine’s constitutional framework remains intact—and the government is proceeding according to the roadmap laid out by law, not political pressure.

📊 Quick Poll: Should the U.S. continue supporting Ukraine until the war ends? *

• 🇺🇸 Yes, but with accountability
• 💸 No, we’ve done enough
• 🤝 Only if there’s a clear path to peace
• 🕊️ Not at all—time to focus at home

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What makes Trump’s reaction especially notable is the sharp contrast with his past remarks. While he long argued that he could end the war in “24 hours” if returned to office, critics have often accused him of being too soft on Putin or avoiding direct confrontation.

But this time, Trump isn’t just blaming Biden for mismanaging the conflict—he’s going a step further by calling out Putin directly, marking a significant shift in tone that’s raising eyebrows at the Kremlin.

Meanwhile, the situation on the ground in Ukraine remains brutal. Just this weekend, Russian forces launched overnight attacks, deliberately targeting a military hospital in Kharkiv—Ukraine’s second-largest city. Civilians and soldiers alike continue to bear the brunt of the war, even as peace negotiations crawl along.

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