Washington, March 31 — US President Donald Trump criticized both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, expressing frustration over their inability to negotiate an end to the war. Despite claiming “we’re making a lot of progress,” Trump acknowledged that “there’s tremendous hatred” between the two, hinting at difficulties in delivering the swift resolution he had promised during his campaign.
Speaking to NBC News from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump said he was “angry, pissed off” that Putin questioned Zelenskyy’s credibility.
The Russian leader recently claimed that Zelenskyy lacked the legitimacy to sign a peace deal, suggesting that Ukraine required external governance.
Trump warned of potential new sanctions against Russia, which already faces heavy financial penalties, and floated the idea of using tariffs to weaken its oil exports. “If I think they’re tapping us along, I will not be happy about it,” he said during his flight back to Washington.
Despite his criticism, Trump struck a somewhat softer tone regarding Putin. “I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word,” he said. “I’ve known him for a long time. We’ve always gotten along well.”
Trump also directed sharp criticism at Zelenskyy, accusing him of attempting to back out of a rare earth minerals deal with the US. “He’s trying to back out of the rare earth deal. And if he does that, he’s got some problems. Big, big problems,” Trump said.
The rare earth agreement, meant to secure US access to critical minerals in Ukraine, was expected to be signed during Zelenskyy’s White House visit.
However, their meeting ended in a tense standoff, with Trump suggesting that Zelenskyy sought to renegotiate the deal for stronger security guarantees.
