Donald Trump called out Vladimir Putin for his comments about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ,but the Russian leader has seemingly taken it surprisingly well.
Donald Trump has been talking the talk when it comes to saying he'll be able to end the war in Ukraine quickly, but since being sworn in as 47th President of the US, has he been walking the walk?
Well, with Trump recently saying he's 'very angry' and even 'p****d off' at the Russian leader, it would seem the pair's 'friendship' has taken a bit of a turn - though thankfully, it may not be quite as bad as it first seemed.
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On March 28, Putin slated Zelenskyy's leadership and proposed the United Nations (UN) should take over Ukraine with a temporary government overseen by the US and even some European countries. Trump slammed Putin's comments, warning he didn't think they were going 'in the right location' and declaring himself royally 'p****d off' at his fellow leader.
Not only that, but Trump told NBC News if Russia and the US can't make 'a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine' and if it's 'Russia's fault' then he'd put 'secondary tariffs on all oil coming out of Russia'.
“That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States. There will be a 25 percent tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil," he added.
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Despite Trump's frosty words and threat of further tariffs on Russia, it would appear Putin is - surprisingly - still very open to communication. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin is open to a call with Trump, as reported by the Independent.
Peskov said discussions are still occurring between Moscow and Washington and while no call is currently scheduled, Putin is open to arranging one whenever.
Peskov previously noted he believed Trump's comments about being 'angry' with Putin had been 'paraphrased'.
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On his daily conference call, as quoted by the BBC, Peskov also dismissed the quotes from Trump arguing they were 'not direct'.
He stated: "We continue to work with the American side, primarily on sorting out our bilaterial relations, which had been greatly damaged by the previous [US] administration. And we are also working on several areas regarding the Ukraine peace process.
"Work is ongoing. We have nothing concrete yet that we could or should tell you. This process is drawn out due to its complicated nature. The President remains open to contact with President Trump. A telephone call can be organised quickly if needed."
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine, Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Poppy Bilderbeck