US President Donald Trump expressed optimism that Russian President Vladimir Putin will fulfill his part of the deal to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump shared his thoughts with reporters at the White House on Monday, stating that he believes Putin will live up to what he told him.
This comes after Trump previously expressed frustration with Putin’s approach to a ceasefire deal in Ukraine.
Trump warned that if Putin fails to cooperate, he would consider imposing tariffs on Russia’s oil exports.
The proposed tariff could be as high as 25% or 50% on countries buying Russian oil.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump explained that if a deal cannot be made to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine, he will impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil.
Trump stated that countries buying oil from Russia would face restrictions on doing business in the United States.
The US President’s remarks follow Putin’s attempt to question the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Putin suggested that Ukraine could be placed under a temporary UN-led government to organize fresh elections before negotiating a peace deal.