US President Donald Trump said Sunday he was "very angry, pissed off" with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, NBC reported, marking a sharp change of tone as Washington seeks to end the war in Ukraine.
NBC's Kristen Welker said Trump had called her to express his anger over Putin questioning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's future as a leader — something that Trump himself has done.
Welker, on her NBC show "Meet The Press" on Sunday, quoted directly from an early-morning telephone conversation with the president.
The White House has said President Donald Trump raised the possibility of the United States taking ownership of Ukrainian power plants.
Trump said that "if Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia's fault" then he would impose "secondary tariffs on all oil coming out of Russia".
Welker said Trump told her "I was very angry, pissed off" when Putin started making comments about Zelenskyy's credibility and talking about new leadership in Ukraine.
Trump has been pushing for a speedy end to the more than three-year war since taking office, but his administration has failed to reach a breakthrough despite talks with both sides.
Putin rejected a joint US-Ukrainian plan for a 30-day ceasefire, and on Friday suggested Zelenskyy be removed from office as part of the peace process, further toughening Moscow's negotiating position and angering Kiev.
