Trump, Putin, Russia, secondary duties, oil, ceasefire, Ukraine 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
US President Donald Trump has said he is “angry” with Vladimir Putin over his recent statements on Ukraine and threatened to impose “secondary duties” on Russian oil if peace talks fail. This was reported by NBC News and Bloomberg.
“I was furious about it. If there is no deal to stop the bloodshed and I decide that Russia is to blame – and that is not a fact yet – I will impose secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil from Russia,” Trump said in a phone interview with NBC on Sunday.
Duties as a lever of pressure
According to Trump, these duties will affect not only Russia but also countries that buy oil from it. The politician stressed that the duty would range from 25% to 50%, and that “no company that does business with Russia in the energy sector will be able to do business in the United States”.
“If you buy oil from Russia, forget about doing business in the US,” Trump added.
Trump said that he plans to speak to Vladimir Putin in person this week to discuss the peace process and explore the limits of a possible agreement. He described his threat as a diplomatic bargaining tool aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
Truce in the Black Sea and the Kremlin’s economic blackmail
Following talks in Saudi Arabia last week, the US announced that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to a naval truce in the Black Sea as the next stage of Trump’s de-escalation plan.
However, the Kremlin has demanded that sanctions be lifted against the Russian Agricultural Bank (RASB) and other financial institutions involved in international fertiliser and food trade.
Venezuela – a new direction of economic pressure
On Monday, Trump also announced the introduction of secondary duties on countries that buy oil from Venezuela, calling on the world to stop trading with the Nicolas Maduro regime. According to him, Venezuela is “exporting crime” and “tens of thousands of criminal elements” have entered the US from there.
Conclusion:
Trump’s rhetoric signals a tougher foreign economic strategy, where duties are used not only to protect the US market, but also as a geopolitical lever. If the threats against Russia are implemented, this could have serious consequences for the global oil market, especially for countries that maintain trade with Moscow.
