Russia Responds After Trump Slams Putin Over Ukraine

President Donald Trump sent a sharp message to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend, warning that continued hostility toward Ukraine could cost Moscow dearly. In an interview with NBC News, Trump revealed he’s “very angry, pissed off” with Putin for questioning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s credibility and promised “secondary tariffs” if Russia refuses to come to the table and end the war.

The Kremlin was quick to respond. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov downplayed Trump’s remarks, telling Reuters, “We are continuing to work with the American side... we are also working on the implementation of some ideas related to the Ukrainian settlement.” But he admitted that no concrete progress has been made and called the process “time-consuming.”

Trump’s comments mark a notable shift in tone. Though critics have accused him of being too soft on Russia in the past, Trump made it clear that his patience is wearing thin particularly over Putin’s recent public statements questioning Zelensky’s legitimacy and hinting at the need for “new leadership” in Ukraine.

“He considers Zelensky not credible. He’s supposed to be making a deal with him... I wasn’t happy with that,” Trump said Sunday. “But I think he’s going to be good.”

Trump also criticized Zelensky himself, saying the Ukrainian leader has taken U.S. military support for granted and is now trying to back out of a rare earth minerals deal the two countries signed earlier this year.

“We made a deal on rare earths, and now he’s saying, ‘well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal.’ He wants to be a member of NATO. Well, he was never going to be a member of NATO,” Trump said. “He understands that... so if he’s looking to renegotiate the deal, he’s got big problems.”

That minerals deal crucial for America’s long-term energy independence was nearly derailed after a tense Oval Office meeting last month, during which Zelensky was reportedly asked to leave the White House following a heated exchange with Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

The Trump administration has since patched things up somewhat but the former president made it clear: the days of writing blank checks to Ukraine are over.

Meanwhile, the White House announced last week that it had brokered a limited ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea, along with a mutual pledge not to target energy infrastructure. But both countries have already accused each other of violating the truce with fresh strikes on energy facilities.

As the 2024 election looms, Trump continues to take a tougher, more transactional approach to global affairs pushing for results, not optics. And his message to Putin and Zelensky is the same: Make peace, or face the consequences.

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