US president ‘p—ed off’ as Russian counterpart demands that Volodymyr Zelensky be replaced with transitional government
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Donald Trump said he was “p—ed off” with Vladimir Putin and threatened new sanctions against Russia as attempts to negotiate a Ukraine ceasefire stalled.
The US president voiced his frustration during an interview in which he also threatened to bomb Iran if Tehran did not reach a nuclear deal with Washington.
Mr Trump’s remarks came as he prepared to accelerate his global trade war on Wednesday – “Liberation Day” – when he will implement sweeping tariffs on imports. Sir Keir Starmer has drawn up retaliatory tariffs, The Telegraph understands.
Mr Trump is growing frustrated with efforts to end the war in Ukraine, which he promised to do within 24 hours of entering office.
He said said he was “very angry, p—ed off” with his Putin demanding that Volodymyr Zelensky be replaced with a transitional government as the price for peace negotiations.
The US president threatened to introduce “secondary tariffs” on Russian energy exports, targeting countries that buy Russian oil and gas with sanctions, if talks did not progress.
“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,” he added.
He said he planned to talk to Putin this week, with the comments coming after Grigory Karasin, the Russian negotiator, warned on Sunday that a ceasefire may not be implemented until 2026.
“It would be naive to expect any breakthrough results at the very first meeting,” Mr Karasin, the chairman of Russia’s Federation Council Committee on International Affairs and a former ambassador to Britain, said on state television.
Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry claimed to have captured two Ukrainian villages – Shchebraki, in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, and Panteleimonivka, in the eastern Donetsk region.
Ukraine also accused Russia of committing a “war crime” after it attacked a military hospital in the city of Kharkiv.
Mr Trump has been pushing for a quick end to the war in Ukraine, but has also acknowledged that Russia could be trying to delay. “I think that Russia wants to see an end to it, but it could be they’re dragging their feet,” he said last week in a rare sign of frustration with Putin.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has accused Russia of prolonging talks with no intention of halting its offensive.
“For too long now, America’s proposal for an unconditional ceasefire has been on the table without an adequate response from Russia,” Mr Zelensky said in his evening address on Saturday.
Britain and France are planning to send a joint team to Kyiv to discuss how to establish a “reassurance force” for Ukraine once a ceasefire agreement is in place.
Concerns over European security were amplified over the weekend by a secret Pentagon strategy document showing that the US would not come to Europe’s aid if Russia invaded.
A memo from Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, obtained by the Washington Post, suggested Washington would be unlikely to provide substantial – or any – support while the US prepares for a potential war with China.
Mr Trump is aggressively seeking multiple deals on Ukraine, trade, Gaza and Iran, saying on Sunday that he would launch military strikes on Tehran if the country did not engage in talks to limit its nuclear programme.
“If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing – and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before,” he said. Last week, he deployed stealth bombers to the Diego Garcia base, which the US shares with Britain, in what was thought to be a warning to Iran and its proxies.
Just hours earlier, Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian president, said the Islamic Republic rejected the option of direct talks with the US, offering Tehran’s first response to Mr Trump’s letter via mediators in Oman.
In his interview on Sunday, Mr Trump also ruled out running for a third term, which is banned under the US constitution.
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Trump lashes out at Putin as Ukraine ceasefire talks stall – The Telegraph
