As negotiations for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war failed to find a breakthrough, U.S. President Trump has started putting pressure on Russia. Expressing his deep anger over the situation, he stated that if the ceasefire negotiations do not succeed, he will impose a 25% secondary tariff on Russian oil within a month.
This report is by Nam Seung-mo from Washington.
In an interview with NBC News, President Trump targeted Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He took issue with President Putin’s statement on the 27th, which suggested the establishment of a temporary Ukrainian government as a condition for peace negotiations.
[Vladimir Putin/Russian President (27th): We can discuss the possibility of introducing a temporary Ukrainian government. This is to conduct democratic elections and establish a government that is trusted by the people to initiate peace talks.]
Trump stated that this is not the right direction and expressed that he is “very angry.”
He pressed that if it is determined that Russia is hindering the ceasefire negotiations, a 25% secondary tariff on all Russian oil will be imposed.
He explained that if Russian oil is purchased, it means a company cannot do business in the United States, and a 25% tariff will be imposed on the oil.
The term “secondary tariffs” was used by Trump when pressuring Venezuela, and it implies imposing tariffs not only on the subject country but also on all trading processes with countries importing the goods subject to tariffs from the U.S.
China, Türkiye, Brazil, and India are major importers of Russian oil, and backlash is expected if it is actually imposed.
Trump emphasized that if the ceasefire negotiations do not succeed, tariffs on Russia will be imposed within a month.
However, he mentioned that his anger would dissipate quickly if President Putin did the right thing, and he plans to speak with Putin again within this week.
Trump also continued his pressure on Iran, stating that if Iran does not enter into negotiations with the U.S. to halt nuclear weapon development, he would resort to bombings and secondary tariffs.
(Video coverage: Park Eun-ha, Video editing: Ahn Yeo-jin)