In the Ukraine ceasefire negotiations, U.S. President Donald Trump, who sought a relatively quick and easy end to the war by offering terms favorable to Russia, is reportedly growing impatient as Moscow responds lukewarmly. Sources say his patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin is wearing thin.
On Sunday, Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke on Finland’s YLE broadcaster about his previous meeting with Trump. On Saturday, he visited Trump at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida—Trump’s residence—where the two played golf.
Stubb noted that Trump’s frustration is growing over Russia’s delay in implementing a ceasefire. He said Trump has very little patience for Russia’s actions, the collusion, and the delay in a ceasefire. He added that he got the impression even the U.S. side is running out of patience and said he believes that’s a good thing.
The United States, which has provided substantial military support to the Ukrainian government during the war, proposed a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire plan between Ukraine and Russia on March 11. While Ukraine stated it would enter a ceasefire immediately if Russia agreed, as of March 25, Russia had only agreed to a ceasefire limited to energy facilities and areas near the Black Sea.
In Sunday’s interview with NBC, Trump stated that if he fails to reach an agreement with Russia to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine—and if that failure is Russia’s fault, which he said might be the case—he would impose secondary tariffs on all oil coming out of Russia.
He warned that companies purchasing oil from Russia would no longer be able to do business in the United States. He stated that a 25 percent tariff would be imposed on all Russian oil, possibly rising by 25 to 50 percentage points. Trump added that a 25 percent tariff would also apply to oil and other products sold in the U.S., along with secondary tariffs, and explained that if a ceasefire agreement is not reached, these tariffs on Russia would be enforced within a month.
Trump also said that Putin is aware of his anger but emphasized that he maintains a very good relationship with him and that his rage would quickly fade if Putin did the right thing.
Stubb, who met with Trump, said that Finland proposed April 20 as the date for a complete ceasefire, stating that it would be a good time for an unconditional and complete halt to fighting. He explained that the date was chosen because it falls around Easter and marks three months since the start of Trump’s potential new term.
He also noted that U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a prominent pro-Trump figure in the Republican Party, is preparing a Russia sanctions package with the backing of all 50 Republican senators to increase pressure on Moscow.
According to Stubb, Trump asked him whether Putin could be trusted, to which Stubb replied that he could not. Stubb also told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy—who visited Finland on March 19—that if Putin refuses to commit to a ceasefire, he should be pressured to negotiate.
