‘Big Blow’: Trump On US Oil Tariff Before High-Stakes Putin Meeting

US President Donald Trump has declared that he will know within the “first two minutes” of his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin whether a peace deal is possible, signalling optimism for a breakthrough that could end the Russia-Ukraine war. The meeting is scheduled for Friday in Alaska.

Trump made the comments during a White House briefing on Monday (local time), saying he sees potential for “normal trade” between Washington and Moscow if Russia shifts its focus from conflict to commerce.

‘If Putin Went Toward Business Instead of War’
When asked about the possibility of restoring trade ties, Trump said, “I do. Russia has a very valuable piece of land. If Vladimir Putin would go toward business instead of toward war, you know, it's a warring nation. That's what they do. They fight a lot of wars. A friend of mine said Russia is tough because they just keep on fighting.”
Trump emphasised that the tone of the summit will be set immediately, stating, “We're going to have a meeting with Vladimir Putin. And at the end of that meeting, probably in the first two minutes, I'll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made.”

Push for Immediate Ceasefire
Trump reiterated his intention to seek an immediate halt to hostilities, saying, “I'd like to see a ceasefire. I'd like to see the best deal that could be made for both parties.”
The US President linked Russia’s current economic troubles to sanctions and tariffs imposed by his administration, noting that a 50 per cent tariff on countries buying Russian oil had caused significant damage.

“Their economy is not doing well right now because it's been very well disturbed by this. It doesn't help when the President of the United States tells their largest or second-largest oil buyer that we're putting a 50 per cent tariff on you if you buy oil from Russia. That was a big blow,” Trump said.

‘I Was All Set to Do Things Far Bigger’
Revealing that he was prepared to escalate measures against Moscow, Trump said, “I haven't stopped there. I mean, look, I was all set to do things far bigger than that. But I got a call that they'd like to meet, and I'm going to see what they want to meet about.”

Trump described the summit as a “big deal” and signalled that European allies are also eager for a resolution. “I'll be calling the European leaders. They're tired of it (the Russia-Ukraine war). They want to get back to spending money on their countries. They want to get back to building their own countries. They want it resolved.”

Blaming Biden, Planning Zelensky Talks
Taking aim at his predecessor, Trump claimed, “This war wouldn't have happened if I were president. This is Joe Biden's war. This is not my war.”
He outlined plans to push Putin toward ending the war: “So I'm going in to speak to Vladimir Putin. And I'm going to be telling him, you've got to end this war. And he wasn't going to mess with me.”

Trump said he envisions a future meeting involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin, with his own presence as needed. “The next meeting will be with Zelensky and Putin, or Zelensky and Putin and me. I'll be there if they need me, but I want to have a meeting set up between the two leaders.”

‘Out of Respect’ to Zelensky
The US President stressed that his meeting with Putin is meant to explore the parameters of a peace deal before consulting Kyiv and European leaders.
“I'm going to meet with President Putin and we're going to see what he has in mind, and if it's a fair deal I'll reveal it to the European Union leaders and to the NATO leaders and also to President Zelensky,” he said, adding that he would call Zelensky first “out of respect.”

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India’s Watchful Eye
While India is not directly involved in the negotiations, the outcome could shape global oil markets and trade dynamics, areas of direct interest to New Delhi. A peace deal could ease energy price volatility, potentially benefiting India’s import bill, while extended conflict risks prolonging supply chain and commodity market instability.

(With Inputs From ANI)