Why is Trump ‘angry’ with Putin?

Donald Trump’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin has been the subject of much interest in recent months. In February, Trump was hit with claims of sympathizing with Putin after a White House meeting in which he traded barbs with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. In the wake of that meeting, Trump doubled-down on the sentiment by calling Zelenskyy a dictator and suggesting that it was Ukraine, and not Russia, who had initiated the conflict. 

While the White House briefing with Zelenskyy initially pointed towards Trump seemingly siding with Russia, the U.S. president has in recent days appeared to change his approach to Putin. In late-March, 2025, Trump said he was “very angry” with Putin, in response to earlier comments made by the Russian president about a potential ceasefire amid the ongoing conflict. So what exactly led Trump to be so angry with Putin?

Trump tells NBC News he “was very angry” and “pissed off” at Putin with the Russian leader “started getting into Zelenskyy’s credibility” because that’s counterproductive to negotiations and “not going in the right location.”

— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) March 30, 2025

Trump’s anger with Putin stemmed from comments made by the Russian president last week. In televised remarks, Putin appeared to halt plans of a ceasefire with Ukraine when saying that Zelenskyy lacks legitimacy as a leader of the country. Putin said that because Zelenskyy’s presidential term technically expired last year, he does not have the authority to enter into ceasefire or peace talks. 

While it is true that Zelenskyy’s five-year presidential term technically ended last year, he does still hold the title of president because Ukraine is currently under martial law as a result of the Russian invasion. Still, Putin contended that any negotiations of a ceasefire would be challenged by Ukraine’s future, post-Zelenskyy government, and therefore appeared to walk back on plans for a ceasefire. The stalling tactic also saw Putin suggest Ukraine be placed under a temporary UN-led government to organize fresh elections before negotiating a peace deal.

🚨 NBC: “Just hours ago, President Trump called me to tell me he is ‘pissed off’ with Russia’s President Putin and threatened to impose secondary tariffs on Russia’s oil.” pic.twitter.com/ikpmFH5t1Q

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 30, 2025

Putin’s seeming halt of plans for a ceasefire with Ukraine, on the basis that Zelenskyy was not a legitimate leader, angered Trump. “You could say that I was very angry, p***ed off… when Putin started getting into Zelensky’s credibility,” Trump said during a phone interview with NBC. The president said Putin’s suggestion of electing a new Ukrainian leader to initiate talks of a ceasefire “means you’re not going to have a deal for a long time,” adding that Putin’s comments are “not going in the right location” in terms of brokering peace. 

Trump’s displeasure with Putin saw him threaten Russia with tariffs. He said that if a ceasefire deal isn’t made by the end of the month, he is “going to put secondary sanctions on Russia” in the form of tariffs on Moscow’s oil exports. “That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States,” Trump said. “There will be a… 25 to 50-point tariff on all oil.” 

While Trump’s comments appeared to outline a change in tune in terms of his approach to Russia, the president said his relationship with Putin hasn’t soured. “I was disappointed in a certain way,” he said of Putin’s comments, “he’s supposed to be making a deal with [Zelensky]… so I wasn’t happy with that.” However, Trump said that “the anger dissipates quickly” if Putin “does the right thing” in terms of reaching a ceasefire deal.